


Connecting the Dots

by Afalstein



Category: DC Animated Universe, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Naruto, Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, Gen, Multiple Crossovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-02 08:37:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 309,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5241824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Afalstein/pseuds/Afalstein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started with an arm.  Now all sorts of super-powered teenagers are dropping out of the sky, and the Justice League must scramble to find out who these new visitors are and what they're after.  But the League isn't the only one interested in them...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

 

   It was an arm.  Unnaturally pale perhaps, and currently enclosed in a glass case with little lasers flickering over it in a scan, but it was still an arm.

                For the hundredth time in his life, Superman found himself wondering if his best friend had finally gone crazy.  Sure, he had been sane—perfectly correct, in fact—the other ninety-nine times, but… an arm?

                “Bruce, explain to me again why this is so important.”  He said, without taking his eyes off the appendage.

                A snort came from the dark-clad figure at the computer.  “Because it came from another dimension, that’s why.”

                “Oh?”  Other dimensional-beings DID tend to be rather nasty.  “So have you found out to communicate with it yet?”

                An annoyed sigh at his shoulder made him start slightly.  “It’s not sentient, Clark.”  Batman moved forward and began tapping on the monitor next to the box.

                “You’re sure?  Some of these dimensional things…”

                “I’m sure.  I had J’onn look it over.  It’s just an arm.”

                “It might simply be dead.  Then it wouldn’t respond to J’onn.”

                “I also sought out Zatanna and several mediums and had them check into it.  Granted, it’s not entirely certain that they’d be able to contact a dead being from another dimension, but I’m pretty sure it’s just an arm.  The anatomy corresponds pretty exactly to it… the bone and muscle are nearly exactly the same as a human appendage.”

                “So it’s just an arm.”

                “Yes.”

                “So… explain to me why this is so important again.”

                Another sigh.  “Because it came from another dimension.”

                “Bruce, it’s still just an arm.  And according to you, a pretty normal arm.  Why are you stressing out about…”  Superman stopped, thought a moment, and corrected himself.  “Why do you want _me_ to stress out about it?”

                “Dimensional ruptures have a habit of being problematic.”  Came the response.  “Especially when they happen repeatedly.”

                Superman blinked.  “What?”

                “Remember that explosion we had in the Metro tower last week?”

                “Yeah.  Knocked out the main generator and nearly caused a meltdown.  We were on high alert expecting an attack for several hours, though fortunately no one did.”

                “Exactly.”  Bruce turned from the computer and faced the Man of Steel.  “You remember the investigation we did, that was NOT a normal explosion.  Yet we experienced no supervillain activity.  That means that either they did something we haven’t found out about yet, or none of them were behind the explosion.”

                Clark frowned.  “Not likely.”

                “That’s what I thought.  But I’ve been investigating for quite a while, and I’ve yet to find any unusual activity that occurred that day.  And then Question came to me.”

                 “Q?”  Clark’s nose wrinkled in distaste.  “And you listened to him?”

                A snort as Batman turned back to the case.  “I listened.  I didn’t believe him, but I told him to pursue his investigation, figuring it couldn’t do any harm.  Every so often his theories turn something up.”

                “What was this particular theory?”

                Batman’s face gave the slightest twitch.  “Some kind of Mayan underground in the ‘Soirree’ hair salon chain, who were trying to bring about the end of the world through transportational magic.”

                Clark rubbed his face.  “Remind me why he’s in the league again?”

                “Because every so often, his theories turn something up.”  Bruce gestured.  “Like this.  He checked up on other ‘mystic disturbances’ in the area, and found an unusual police report.  A severed arm, found on the top of a nearby office building.”

                “That’s what this is?”  Clark studied the arm in the case.  “Bruce, I’m not seeing the connection.”

                “Exactly.”  Bruce nodded, sliding his hands into the gloves fitted to the side of the box.  “No one would, except Q.  It happened about four hours prior to our incident, in a completely separate part of town.  Even if I was looking into it, I might just think it was a random murder-and-mutilation job.  But Q picked up on it because of what he termed a ‘mystic anomaly.’” 

Here Bruce’s gloved hands reached for the arm and picked it up.  The elbow sagged slightly and the wrist hung limply from the arm as he turned it over and laid it back on the glass bottom, palm facing upward.

Clark stared at it for a moment.  “Why,” he said carefully, “would someone have a mouth in their hand?”

“That,” Bruce said, “I don’t know.”

 


	2. Initiation

                Naruto was not having a good day.  No, forget that, Naruto was having a TERRIBLE day.  Not surprising perhaps, given that he was standing in the middle of a battlefield amidst the broken and bleeding bodies of his friends.  Or that the people responsible, standing just across the wood from him, were some of the most wanted criminals in the world.

It didn’t help either that one of them had once been one of his closest friends. 

                “They’re not dead, you realize.”  Sasuke said coldly, bringing Naruto out of his stupor.  “Though killing them would be easy enough.”

                Naruto’s eyes turned just a touch red.  “Sasuke…”

                “They were trying to stop me.”  Sasuke interrupted him.  “I’ve left enough examples by now for them to realize what happens to those who try to stop me.  It’s not my fault they decided to be stupid.”  His eyes narrowed slightly.  “But at least they recognize that I can never return.”

                “Sasuke, these people were your friends!”

                “Tch.”  Sasuke jerked his head upwards.  “I am an avenger.  I do not have ‘friends.’”  Naruto noticed the red-haired girl behind Sasuke wince slightly.  “Some people have bonds of love, but I am destined to a bond of hatred.  My darkness is my strength.”

                “You left them alive.”  Naruto pointed out.

                “Don’t tempt me,” growled the silver-haired boy at Sasuke’s side, leveling an enormous sword.

                “Hm.”  Sasuke answered, ignoring the swordsman’s outburst.  “That was so that I could convince you.”

                Naruto blinked.

                “You, Naruto, have grown powerful, but you remain the same idiotic teme you were before.  You refuse to confront reality.  You fail to realize that who I am is who I want to be.  I do not need rescuing, not from Orochimaru or Madarra or even from myself.  I am an avenger, this path is my destiny.”

                “Don’t start feeding me that destiny crap.”  Naruto growled.  “You’re starting to sound like Neji.”

                Sasuke shook his head.  “ _Teme_.  You still don’t get it.  I am an Uchiha.  I am destined to be driven by hatred, I am destined to be an avenger.  I am destined to fight you.”

                “I’m not going to fight you, Sasuke.”

                “Yes you will.”  Sasuke rolled his eyes.  “That’s why I left your friends alive.”  He stepped forward a little and nosed one of the bodies with his foot.  It let out a feeble groan.

                Naruto’s eyes widened.  “Don’t…!”  He said, stepping forward.

                “Hm.”  Responded Sasuke, simply studying the body at his feet, ignoring the looks both Naruto and his own team were sending him.  “I remember this one.  Not the most powerful genin, but devoted.  She went down easily enough, but she kept getting back up.  Rather like you in some ways.”  He frowned contemplatively.  “I think I even remember Zetsu telling me something about her and you during Pein’s attack.”

                “Er… Sasuke-kun…,”  whispered the red-haired girl hesitantly.

“You always were focused on bonds, Naruto.  Protecting your precious people, ne?”  He glanced up to see Naruto quivering with rage.  “Is this one of them?”

                Naruto did not respond.

                “And,” Sasuke continued, a long sword dropping from the folds of his coat, “can you protect her?  Hmmm?”  He lifted a calm eyebrow.

                Naruto stared at him, shock rapidly turning to anger.  The red-haired girl’s eyes widened.  The huge man to Sasuke’s right shifted uneasily.  There was a long moment of silence in the forest.

                The body under Sasuke coughed suddenly.  “N… Naruto-kun…?”   It croaked.

                Several things happened in that moment.  Naruto threw himself, screaming and glowing with a strange red chakra, at Sasuke.  Sasuke flicked up his sword and threw himself at Naruto.  Sasuke’s teammates, too slow to realize what was going on, started backward.  A pair of white eyes opened and groggily focused on the battle.

                And off to the far left of the battle, a battered, bleeding man with silver hair raised himself on one elbow .  His right eye opened, revealing a curious, swirling red eye.

                “ _Kamui_.”  He whispered.

                The air around the field crackled with a strange energy.  The forms suddenly blurred, warped, reshaped, and twisted into strange spiral shapes.  And then there was a blinding flash…

 

                And suddenly they were all gone.  The field, the bodies, the fighters, and the friends.  The only person left was the silver-haired man.  _I… didn’t mean to… get all of them…_ Hatake Kakashi, Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha, collapsed onto the cold stone.  _Oh well.  I hope… they do alright…_ were his last thoughts as he slipped into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

                In an alleyway in Gotham, a bright light flashed and several dark forms tumbled to the ground.

 

* * *

 

                Somewhere in Hub City, a boy fell through a flashing hole and collapsed onto the pavement.

 

* * *

 

 

                Jump City’s park flared with sudden light as four figures materialized into existence.

 

* * *

 

 

                Three guards in a mysterious underground complex leapt backwards as a glowing portal filled the hallway and shot several people at them.

* * *

 

                And high in the skies above Metropolis, a glowing ball of light materialized and dropped three people toward the ground below.

                As they fell, the slim blond girl in the group opened her eyes.  For a moment she stared at the swiftly approaching lights.

                Her eyes widened.  _Whoah_.

 


	3. Dispersion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninjas hit the DC world hard, and its inhabitants scramble to respond.

 

**Dispersion**

 

"Master Bruce, a situation has arisen." Intoned the voice respectfully from the speaker.

Batman flipped a switch on the Batmobile's dashboard. "What is it, Alfred?"

There was a slight pause. "The computer has picked up… 'dimensional rifts,' it says, worldwide."

"What dimension?"

"The code is 1739, sir."

Batman's eyes narrowed to slits. "I see. That should have been sent to the League automatically, but inform them just in case. Now where is the rift?"

"Sir…" Another pause. "There are several."

"Several?" Batman paused. "Very well. Where is the one closest to my current location?"

"At Whituckney Ave, 8743." The voice replied. "Over on the other side of town. Sir, perhaps you ought to…"

"Forget it Alfred." Batman flicked the switch off. "Batman out."

* * *

 

It was the pain that awoke Ino.

The last thing she remembered was the sudden realization that there was someone behind her, moments before everything went black. The next thing she knew, she was being awoken by the pain. It felt unbearable, as if every part of her body were being twisted, shrunk, and re-expanded. Light was exploding in her mind, stars and shapes of every size and color, like a kaleidoscope of burning pain.

Just as suddenly as the pain had appeared, it disintegrated, and all Ino could feel was the cold wind blowing against her face. Her body felt curiously light, and she could feel nothing with her hands and arms.

Groaning, she cracked her eyes open and stared into the blinding wind. She could see a great many lights ahead of them, and they were swiftly coming closer. In fact, they were coming so fast…

"Whoah." Ino's eyes widened as she realized two things. One, those lights were the tops of buildings. Two, she was falling. Towards them.

Now, it was possible—even likely—that this was a dream, and that she would wake up just before she hit the ground. But on the off chance that it wasn't, she was utterly screwed. Even in the time it took her to think this, the buildings were already screaming past (dimly she noted that they were very odd buildings), and her mind was already identifying the thing coming closer as stone (perhaps concrete?).

This didn't feel like a dream.

* * *

 

There was a nasty taste in his mouth—blood, he realized—and there were definitely some odd smells around—smoke, mostly. But what bothered Kiba most were the bizarre sounds. Rumblings and squealing, and some sort of blaring noise that he couldn't identify. And every so often there would be these high-pitched whining noises that would fade in and out of his listening range. It bothered him, because at the moment all he could see were stars, and his body wasn't really responding.

Slowly feeling came back into him, and he groaned. Loudly. He was suddenly aware of thousands of burning cuts in his arms, legs, hands, feet, and head. That silver-haired psycho certainly hadn't left much untouched.

It hurt to move his arm, but he slowly maneuvered it into his pouch and found his pills. Then he crawled his hand back to his mouth and popped one in.

The effects took a few moments, but gradually he felt his energy returning. His body still hurt like anything, of course, and he was bleeding all over, but at least he could move. Akamaru was probably…

"Akamaru!" Kiba jolted up, a little faster than he should have, and hissed in pain. "Akamaru!" He called again, looking around frantically.

He didn't see Akamaru anywhere. What he DID see was a narrow, dark alleyway, and a few trashcans that he had apparently crashed into and knocked over. A few bright glowing light just outside of the alleyway made it impossible for him to see further.

Kiba pushed himself up, bracing against the wall for support, and began to limp forward. Last thing he knew, he and the others had been fighting Sasuke in the forest. How had he gotten here? More importantly, where on earth was "here?" Still more importantly, where were the others?

Most importantly, where was Akamaru?

"Akamaru!" Kiba called again, weakly now, as he stumbled out of the alleyway into the glaring light. Shielding his eyes, he looked up and gasped.

He stood upon a long avenue of black unbroken stone, with lights piercing the darkness at regular intervals. With a roaring sound, a strange beast of metal rushed past him, leaving an odd scent of smoke behind and letting out one of the odd blaring noises Kiba had heard earlier. On either side and in front of him rose towering columns of smooth steel and glass. They were tall, far taller than anything he had ever seen. Little lights blinked on their edges, and above them he could see stars twinkling in the sky. But they looked… different.

Kiba hissed suddenly as he realized what was wrong. They were the wrong stars!

As a survivalist, Kiba knew how to identify the constellations and from there, how to work out his general position. But these stars… Kiba couldn't read these at all. There were no constellations. No Rikudo the Great Hunter, no Great Inu, nothing at all! Rinhabi and his brilliant sword were nowhere to be seen! He could not even find the brilliant Juubi's Eye. No, these stars were altogether different. And they looked darker, less clear than the ones back home.

Kiba swore quietly. He had no idea where he was, or where the others were, or where Akamaru was.

Hearing a step in the street, Kiba turned to see who it was, and froze as three huge men emerged from the shadows.

* * *

 

The explosion was the first bad sign Larry had. Then again, it had been what woke him up, so perhaps there had been others, but that was the first one he noticed.

Larry had been on his guard post, catching a quick forty winks, when the enormous explosion knocked him out of his chair and landed him on the floor. Shortly afterward, three guards ran past him, screaming. That was the second bad sign.

The third, oddly enough, was the twenty-something security guards that came running back from the _other_ direction, armed with their intensity lasers. If Larry'd been thinking, he would've hidden under his desk until it was all over, but unfortunately the captain caught sight of him and yelled, "Come on, you! Get your ass down there!"

So Larry had broken his own intensity laser out of the locker and stormed down there with the others.

Then he'd heard the roar. That'd been the fourth bad sign.

Larry wasn't exactly certain what all the bad signs added up to. After all, he didn't usually deal with odd-looking teenagers covered in glowing red energy who could rip through an entire platoon in thirty seconds.

Well… maybe he had. Kid Flash, at that job three weeks ago. But that kid hadn't actually ripped people apart, like this guy was doing. And he hadn't had any glowing red tails sprouting from his back either.

That was about as far as Larry's thought process went before the teenager in question suddenly materialized in front of him and knocked him back forty feet into the wall.

As Larry began to pass out, he was dimly aware of the approaching stomp of many feet. "Get it! Stop him!" He heard, and then all was blackness.

 

* * *

 

Sakura woke up fairly quickly. Her sensei's technique had kicked in shortly after she had passed out, and already it had regenerated most of her damaged cells. A large rip running across the front of her dress and a diminishing scar beneath it were the only souvenirs of the life-threatening gash that had been there when she'd gone unconscious.

Still, Sakura was surprised to find herself alive. She'd gone into that battle fully determined to kill Sasuke, and fully hoping to die in the process. It had almost worked, too. Sasuke had underestimated her—thought her to be the same weepy child when he'd left—and she'd managed to land quite a few blows before he'd managed to recover.

Of course, once he did recover and started taking her seriously, it'd been all over. Kakashi had saved her momentarily when he'd leapt in and started throwing kunai all over the place, but once Sasuke'd sent him flying with that Susanoo thing, she'd known it was over. He'd broken through all her defenses and sliced her open before she'd even managed to land another solid blow.

Sasuke…

A lone tear traced its way down her cheek. Silly, really. She'd known, even going into that battle, that Sasuke would attack her. She'd expected him to. Almost wanted him to. But the coldness and effectiveness with which he'd done it…

Not a hint of hesitation. Not a hint of regret. She'd looked into those eyes and seen nothing but darkness.

A groan to her left suddenly brought her back to the world. A badly wounded Neji was lying next to her, along with a surprisingly thin Chouji. Just to her left, she caught a glimpse of a green-clad arm sticking out of a pile of trash at an odd angle.

Eyes widening, Sakura quickly set to work. She dug Lee out of the trash and assessed his condition. Lee had opened up six of the eight celestial gates, she remembered that. But had he opened any more?

From the looks of it, no. His body had taken a substantial beating, and there were quite a few burns and slices on him, but he was still alive. For the moment, she stopped all the bleeding and stabilized his condition, then moved on.

A quick diagnosis of Chouji made her gasp. His body was rapidly deteriorating. Quickly she fumbled in his pouch and brought up his pill container—empty. He must have taken the last shortly after she went down, she'd told him strictly not to use the red.

Fortunately, Tsunade had dealt with these pills before, and the Akimichi now had an antidote to counteract the effects. Sakura dug around in his pouch some more and brought out a syringe. Unbuckling Chouji's armor, she stabbed the needle down into his heart. Chouji cried out and thrashed a little.

"Wha… What are you doing?"

Sakura glanced over to meet Neji's troubled gaze. Obviously unable to move his head, the most he could do was stare up at her.

"Chouji took the red pill." She replied evenly. "This antidote should stop the degeneration." She turned to him. "Let's get a look at you."

Neji was easily the least wounded of the three. Hardly surprising, given his fighting style. The Gentle Fist relied more on subtle jabs than on hard, straightforward attacks, and was largely a defensive school of combat. Still, his left arm was completely broken, and more than a few ribs on his left side were cracked.

"That big fellow with the orange hair…" He muttered as her hands lit with green fire. "I was heading toward Sasuke and I was focusing for an attack, I wasn't watching him. Stupid mistake…"

"Don't worry about it." Sakura whispered. "Just stay still for now."

"Ugh." Neji turned up his head. "Where are we, anyway?"

Sakura shook her head. "I have no idea. Turn on your Byakugan and see if you can find the others. And watch our perimeter." She cast an anxious look around. "I don't like this place."

* * *

 

Ino was just deciding that this probably wasn't a dream when there was a blue blur just to her left, and suddenly there was a man, falling right next to her. Smiling, he babbled something and grabbed hold of her.

How bizarre. A man, spouting gibberish, who appeared out of nowhere and now was falling alongside her. There didn't seem to be anything supporting him. He was wearing a tight blue suit similar to Lee's training outfit. And he was had a… cape? Was that a cape?

Perhaps this _was_ a dream.

Suddenly Ino realized they weren't falling anymore. In fact, ever since the man had grabbed hold of her, they had been slightly slowing down and were even now drifting gracefully to the pavement. She now also noticed that the man was holding Sai in his left hand and Shino in his right while supporting her in the middle.

Gently he lowered them to the street. Ino was dimly aware of people gathering around and murmuring, pointing at the man. The world was growing dark, though, and as the ground rose up to meet her she faded back into oblivion.

* * *

 

"Anyone yet?"

"No." Neji responded. He was standing up now and looked to be fully recovered.

"Found any of the others?" Sakura asked, pumping chakra into a now-conscious Lee. Beside her, Chouji had pulled out a bag of chips (from where, she couldn't imagine) and begun eating.

"No."

"Try a wider range then." Sakura frowned. "I don't understand why the others wouldn't be nearby. You're sure they're not anywhere near?"

"I'm sure." Neji responded, a trifle annoyed. "Believe me, I wouldn't be able to miss them in this world."

"How so?" Sakura turned her head to look at him.

Neji snorted. "Sakura, I can identify nearly two hundred people within fifty feet of us, most of them asleep. None of them have any chakra."

"What?" Sakura stopped for a moment. Chouji looked up in surprise. Lee's eyes widened and he let just the tiniest "oooooh!"

"Precisely. No chakra coils at all," nodded Neji. "Either the entire population of this city can disguise their chakra flawlessly, or they cannot use it. If our friends were anywhere nearby, I would be able to seek them out simply by the color of their chakra."

"Neji-san! Are you saying that no one here can use chakra?" Lee's face had suddenly brightened.

"That does seem to be the case, yes."

"Ooooh!" Lee's eyes shone with manly tears. "How glorious! An entire city of people exploding with the springtime of youth! I must meet with the inhabitants so I may spread my youthful enthusiasm! Yosh!"

"Lee!" All three hissed at him. "Quiet!"

Lee quieted down immediately. "Sorry." He whispered. Stealth and silence had never been strong points with him.

"All done with you. Take it easy for a bit, though." Sakura's hands stopped glowing and she stepped away from Lee.

Lee nodded eagerly and promptly began to strap his weights back on. Apparently, for him, 'taking it easy' did not include leaving his enormous weights off.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned to Neji. "You said we're in a city. Do you recognize it?"

There was a slight hesitation. "No." He said finally. "As a matter of fact, I cannot recall seeing anything like it before. If I had to guess…" he stopped suddenly.

"What? What is it?" Chouji glanced over.             

"There is a man approaching us." Neji answered, quickly and calmly. "He has no chakra, but he is moving at a disquieting rate of speed toward our exact position."

"Crap." Sakura grunted, pushing herself to her feet. "How'd he know where we were?"

"I don't know."

"Too late to do anything about it now anyway,” shrugged Sakura, feeling around in her pouch.  “And I’m out of soldier pills.  He all alone?”

“For the moment.”  Neji nodded.  “Still…”

“Where there’s one, there’s bound to be more,” agreed Sakura.  “Probably a ways behind, if you can’t see them yet, but they’ve got to be coming.  This one is likely just a scout.  We’d better get lost.”

Neji eyed Sakura.  “There’s only one of him and four of us.  And he has no chakra.”

Sakura snorted as she hauled Lee to his feet.  “With what we’ve been through, most of us might as WELL have no chakra.  I’m about drained myself, Lee’s still recovering from the six gates he opened, and Chouji…”  Sakura paused as she pulled Chouji upright.   “…well, look at him.”

“I hate being thin.”  Chouji studied his flat stomach despondently.

Sakura gave a little smile before turning to face Neji.  “We don’t have the resources to take this guy out, at least not before the others get here.  The best we can hope for is to lose them in the city.

Neji looked about to say something, but stopped and tensed suddenly. "Too late.  He's here." He announced, pointing toward the roof.

As if on cue, a dark figure swept down from the overhanging darkness and landed directly in front of them. "Not bad." A gravelly voice remarked in perfect Japanese.

"Leave us alone." Sakura gritted out. "Who are you, anyway?"

The man's gaze turned onto Sakura. "I'm Batman."

* * *

 

" _Nani? Nani o hanashiteiru?_ {What?  What did you say?}" Kiba asked, backing up a step.

One of the men nudged the other. "Dumb kid don't even speak English."

Glancing from one to the other, Kiba stumbled back another step. They were uttering strange sounds and pointing at him. The only weapon he could see was a knife, but if they were threatening him, a clearly-marked shinobi of the Leaf, they could hardly be mere mercenaries. And Kiba was not really feeling up to a full battle, especially without Akamaru.

"You from the Yamato clan, punk? You edgin' in on our territory?"

Yamato? As in, the Mokuton guy? They knew him?

"Hey, he understood that alright." One of the men snickered. "Man, Yamato's gotta be pretty dumb to start hiring punks like this kid."

"No kidding." Grunted the other. "Can't even stand up straight."

"Shut up." The one in the front ordered them. "Okay kid." He said. "We got a message for your bosses, but we ain't got no paper, so we're just gonna cut it into your face, okay?"

" _Wakaranai_.{I don’t understand}" Kiba shook his head. " _Wakaranai. Nani o hanashiteiru_?"

"Let's just get on with it." Grunted one, and dashed forward.

Kiba had no choice. He leapt at the man and attacked.

To his utter astonishment, the man used no jutsus whatsoever, and did not even appear to be good at taijutsu. He simply gaped at Kiba as he flew over his head and was completely unprepared for the roundhouse kick that hit him in the face.

"Ah, man, a Karate kid," groaned the head man. "I hate the karate kids."

"Does it matter?" returned the other, drawing a pipe from his coat. "They bleed like everybody else." They rushed at the teenager.

Feeling much more confident now in the knowledge he was fighting mercenaries and not shinobi, Kiba dodged the pipe easily and trapped the man's knife hand as it whistled at him. A little twist, and the knife clattered to the ground. In one fluid motion, Kiba let go of the man's hand, dodged another attack from the pipe by ducking, rolled under the man's feet, and let two kunai fly at him and his partner.

He watched amazed, as they tumbled to the ground. Blood seeped out from the body in slowly-growing pools. _That was WAY too easy_ , thought Kiba.

" _Omoshiroi_.{Interesting}"

Kiba swung around at the new voice. " _Nani? Nan des ka_? {What?  What was that?}"

 _"Omoshiroi,"_ repeated the voice as its owner strode into the light, clad in a blue trenchcoat with blue pants, blue hat, and an orange shirt. Kiba choked back an exclamation as he saw something else: the man had no face. There were no eyes, no nose, not even a mouth for him to use as he said: " _Namae wa, nan des ka_? {What’s your name?}"

Kiba blinked at the odd question but saw no need to withhold it. " _Inuzuka Kiba_." He replied.

" _Kiba_." The other mused in English. "Of course, Fang, referring most likely to the fabled Dragon Fang project. Why would the Illuminati send one here, though? Unless…" He glanced upwards at the building. "Of course. To infiltrate deserted Montgomery Ward warehouse. Front for the Starbucks franchise, most likely being used to assist in alien-mystic rituals." He nodded. "Obvious, in retrospect."

Kiba frowned. He couldn't understand the man anymore. " _Nani o hanashiteiru_?"

The man seemed to focus on him again. "I will need more information." He muttered to himself. " _Ore to tsurete kuru_. {Come with me.}"

" _Nani_?" Kiba jumped back. " _Ie. Ie_." He responded, shaking his head just in case the man didn't get the point.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Very well then." He said, switching back to English. "The hard way."

He rushed forward. Kiba, feeling unusually confident by now, prepared to meet him.

Unfortunately, this man was nothing like the other thugs. He glided under Kiba's jab, blocked his kick, and send one hand sweeping down to touch a pressure point on his neck. Kiba's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed to the pavement.

The faceless man bent over him and picked him up. "Must remember to investigate warehouse at later date." He noted. "For now…," he glanced at the unconscious chunin, "interrogate suspect."

* * *

 

The appropriate chord of dread seemed to have been struck.  All four of the odd children stared at him in frozen astonishment.  Taking advantage of their surprise, Batman gave a quick perusal of the newcomers.

_Teenagers, close in years.  One girl, three boys.  Abnormalities:  White eyes on boy, pink hair on girl, eyebrows on boy.  Possible meta applications—manipulative hair, laser/x-ray/telescopic vision.  Eyebrows inconclusive, perhaps a indicates an excess of hormones.  Steroid user?  Armor on third boy that of 17 th century Japanese Samaurai.   Kanji on armor for “food.”  Significance?  Name.  Designation.  Possible clue as to power.  Different meaning in other dimension?_

While all this was flashing through Batman’s head, he also noted that all four looked wounded and worn out, and the one in green spandex looked curiously winded.  That, plus the surprisingly loose armor on the other boy, implied they had just spent a great deal of energy, most likely in the teleportation to this dimension. 

Of course, that didn’t make them innocent, or even harmless.  The first time these dimensional ruptures had hit, part of the Metro Tower had been blown up.  The others had been equally catastrophic.  Batman didn’t intend to risk finding out how bad this one could get.

The teenagers recovered with commendable speed.  “ _Batman?”_ snorted the girl, whom Batman had already marked as the leader.  “ _Nanda, ano bakana namae?_ {What kind of stupid name is that?}”

Batman ignored the sentiment.  “ _Omaera, ippun inai namae to Gotham no youji wo ie._ {You have one minute to start telling me your name and business here in Gotham.}”

The attitude of the teenagers changed subtly.  A shift in posture, a slight adjustment in their grouping.  But to a practiced crimefighter, the signs were clear.  Their new postures were more balanced, and their new grouping more defensive.  Without even a word, the teenagers had switched into battle mode, and formed a squad.

This was bad.  They were clearly soldiers, and highly trained ones.  Let loose in Gotham, there was no telling what they might do.

“ _Matsu_ {I’m waiting,}” indicated Batman.

“ _Naze shitteiranakya?_ {And why do you need to know?}  _Omae wa nan no tsumori?_ {What do you intend to do, exactly?}”  That was the white-eyed boy.

Batman stared straight back at the boy.  “ _Sore wa omaera ikanda._ {That depends on you.}  _Demo, otonashiku tsurete kuru no hou ga ii._ {But if you’re wise, you’ll come with me quietly.}  _Ore wa shitsumon ga aru._   {I have some questions you need to answer.}”

The white-eyed boy glanced at the girl.  She gave a short nod.  “ _Hayaku oitsuke._   {Catch up soon.}”

“ _Hai_.”  The white-eyed boy launched himself forward.

* * *

 

"Get him, get him!" shouted the commander over the roar of laser cannons. "Not there you idiots! Back there—no over—wait now he's—just shoot him already! Reinforcements!" He shouted into his headset. "We need reinforcements!"

"Captain, what is going on down there?" A cold voice rang from his speaker.

The captain turned a few shades paler. "We… we have a situation, sir."

"So I hear." The impatience bled from the speaker. "What kind of situation is it?"

"Sir, we have an unprecedented breach in Sector 14!" The Captain reported. "Four intruders, three of which are down already." The captain decided not to mention that apparently they had been down since 'penetrating' the building. "We're experiencing some difficulties with the last one, though, sir!"

"In what way?"

"Well, it…. It…" the captain fumbled for a moment for words. "It's like a demon, sir! It's got some kind of energy shield that makes bullets bounce off, and it moves too fast for us to hit it with anything bigger!"

"Get the heavy artillery in place and then deploy the counter measures we developed against the Flash." The voice directed. "Once it freezes him, take him down, but do not terminate. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" The captain snapped his speaker off. "You there! Jonesy! Get that sonic disruptor to the back of the hallway! Smith! Run over to 317 and get the Peashooter out! The rest of you, keep on him! Don't let him stop!"

There was a small explosion and some guards went flying overhead.

"Get in there you louts! What are you waiting for? Any others with sonic disruptors? Bring them to the rear of the column!" The explosions were getting closer. "C'mon, keep it moving, what do you think the boss is paying you for?"

"Captain!" A soldier tugged at his elbow. "Captain, Smith is back with the Peashooter!" He gestured to miniaturized tank-like vehicle speeding down the hallway. An enormous gun sat atop it, connected by a pipe to a vat of some strange liquid.

"About time!" The captain wheeled around. "Smith! Get that over here! You other men, fall back! Fall back!" He turned to Smith. "Soon as you get a clear shot, fire." He muttered. "Once he does, you others, zero in on it and hit it with the sonic disruptors."

"Sir." The others nodded.

Men came flying back, shooting as they ran. The clearing hallway gave the captain a full glimpse of his enemy. Crouched on all fours, the teenager had curiously red eyes and fangs. Energy bubbled off him in a shroud-like covering. Two tails of pure glowing power sprouted from his back. Exultant in the clearing hallway, it roared aloud to celebrate its triumph over the fleeing soldiers.

"Take it." The captain whispered.

The Peashooter fired three times in rapid succession. Every time it fired, twelve great blobs of massy goo shot from the cannon and smacked into the strange red creature. They stuck to him, weighing him down. The creature roared in fury and thrashed about, yet already the strange red energy was dissolving the blobs imprisoning it.

"Shoot you morons! Shoot!" The captain shouted at the others.

"But sir, Johnson and Larry are still in the way of…"

"SHOOT!"

Four Sonic disruptors fired into action, sending a wall of pure sound at the rampaging creature. It thrashed even more furiously, clutched its head in its hands, roared aloud. The gooey balls were almost gone now.

The captain's Intensive Laser Rifle shot out. With breathtaking accuracy he fired, sending the beam straight through the creature's chest.

Doubling over, the creature gave one last roar and then lay still. The energy around him faded.

"Check Johnson and Larry." The captain ordered. "B-team, with me! Secure the prisoners!"

The guards tentatively approached the blonde laying on the floor. At an irritable wave from the captain, others jogged down the hall to find the other three "intruders" the initial guards had reported.

"Jeez, cap'n, you shot him in the chest!" one of the guards marveled. "Didn't the boss say he wanted him unharmed?"

"He said alive. A wound like that'll heal, with proper medical attention. And it should keep him down for a while. Clap a gas mask on him and give him enough sedative to stay out of it." Glancing over, he shouted, "Report on Larry and Johnson?"

"Uh… they're dead sir. Couldn't take the sonic, looks like, their brains are comin' outta their ears."

"Hm." The captain turned back to the blond lying on the floor, already being sedated and secured. "Add that to the ones this guy killed. How many does that make?"

A slight pause. "At least thirty, sir. Need to get an exact count to be sure."

"Do it."

"Sir." A lieutenant saluted as he came forward. "We have the others. Is termination authorized?"

The captain turned and surveyed the other three. A man with dark hair drawn back into a ponytail, a girl in Chinese costume with her brown hair in two tight buns, and another girl with brilliant red hair. All teenagers. All unconscious.

"Negative on that. Keep them sedated and secured like this one." He gestured. "No telling what they are or what they can do, but Mr. Luthor's going to want to look at them for sure."

 

* * *

 

Of the different choices available to his suspicious visitors, Batman had rated ‘flight’ at 43%, ‘fight’ at 47%, and ‘come along peaceably’ at 2%.

The strategy ‘fight AND flight’ had occurred to him, but it had earned an 8% likelihood because it didn’t make much sense.  Nonetheless, the point remained that he’d considered it, and the girl had barely finished saying her bit when he was already leaping into the air, above the white-eyed boy, and straight at the remaining teenagers.  He could fight later, right now he had to stop them from leaving. 

The boy in green spandex was in the lead.  A few seconds served to validate Batman’s first impression—these kids were _trained_.  And fast.  Though he seemed to be pulling his punches a little (why, Batman couldn’t imagine), the spandex kid attacked with a mixture of method and madness.  It was a very distinctive, and yet a very unique style.  Batman felt a brief desire to stretch the fight out, just to study the fighting style…

“AAAGH!”

Batman ducked just in time to let the girl’s slim fist go whizzing over his head.  A second later he had reason to be glad of that, as the wall behind him cracked with the force of the girl’s blow.  _Definitely a meta._   He noted.  _Strength related to unusually colored hair?  Samson-like phenomenon?_ These coincidences were not uncommon.

Even as he pondered the question, his left elbow was shooting up, into the girl’s stomach.  Apparently her great strength did not come with great durability, for she doubled over with a grunt and just barely managed to catch herself from falling. 

Batman would have followed with a chop to the neck—it would have taken the girl out of the fight, and made things SO much simpler—but suddenly the spandex kid was attacking with a renewed vigor, and no longer pulling his punches.  His speed was nearly, but only nearly, inhuman, and if Batman hadn’t been getting the rhythm of the boy’s attacks, he might have not been able to keep up with it.

As it was, he had landed about five solid hits and was lining up a sixth when he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a great whirling mass of red.  He leapt backwards, just in time to let the great ball of armor and emaciated teenager go crashing into the wall, directly next to the pink-haired girl.  The ball unrolled and swung around to face him, just as the girl rose to her feet.

Lashing out with a foot, Batman kicked back the spandex kid, and whirled about just in time to deflect a blow from white-eyes, who had come back to join the fight.  He didn’t quite manage to block all of it, and the teenager’s palm struck his shoulder lightly.

A stabbing pain shot through Batman’s armor and hardened nerves.  He could feel the muscle tearing, the straining of the tendons.  Nearly all his left arm felt slightly numb from the blow.

White-eyes had whipped away from his counter-stroke and now stood between him and the others again.  “ _Ie_   {Go}.”  He said.

“ _Iya._ {No way,}” growled the girl, a dangerous glint in her eyes.  “ _Sore wa itakatta._ _Koko ni tomatte, ano hito wo taosu._   {That hurt.  I say we stay and give him a good pounding.}”

“ _Sakura-san, mae no kanten wa mada mottomo da._ { Sakura, our original points still hold.}”  The boy pointed out.  “ _Hoka no hitotachi wa sugu kite orera wa jikan ga nainda_.  {Those others can’t be far behind, and we have even less time to spare.}”  Subtly, the boy shifted position.    “ _Ano hito wa ore ni makasete, sugu oitsuku._   {Leave him to me, I’ll meet up with you soon.}”

The girl nodded slowly and glanced to the others.  Turning, they leapt into the darkness of the rooftops.

 

Batman was already moving after them, but this time White-Eyes was completely in his way.  “ _Iie._ {No.}”  He said, bringing his arms up in a very odd stance.  “ _Omae no aite wa ore da._   {Your opponent is me.}”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Neji understood as few did the relation between chakra and power.  Not just because he was a genius Hyuuga with precise chakra control and implementation, but also because he was on a team with a taijutsu specialist and a weapons expert, neither of whom could employ chakra very well.  In his younger days, he had always assumed that this difference rendered him inherently stronger, but time (and Naruto) had changed this opinion.  Now, he had a much healthier appreciation for the capabilities of the ‘common’ ninja.

But this ninja—for so Neji had to call him, there was simply no other label—was on another level altogether.  He was like a melding of Lee AND Tenten, an insanely fast taijutsu specialist with an array of bizarre weaponry. True, he did not have Lee’s speed, but he more than made up for that in sheer unpredictability.  It was impossible to analyze his style, for either he had none, or he had so many that it was impossible to see how they related.

Worse, the man seemed to have grasped the essence of the Gentle Fist style nearly immediately.  His left arm had an obvious stiffness to it, and its blows were decidedly weak, but he took great care to avoid so much as a touch from Neji, deflecting blows instead of blocking them.  And often, he merely whipped away and hurled bombs or odd-looking shuriken at him.

The upshot of this was that Neji found himself relying more and more on the Kaiten, both as the best way to deflect the ninja’s projectiles, and as the surest means of blocking all his strikes.  And it certainly forced the ninja back. 

Neji might have felt pretty good about that, if he hadn’t already used up most of his chakra in the battle with Sasuke before.  The few last spins he had in him were fast running out.

The man whipped away from his jab and leaped back, hurling an assortment of small artillery as he did so.  Neji attempted to conserve chakra by dodging his way through them, and received a slash across the cheek for his pains.  Ignoring it, he threw up a hand to block the stranger’s incoming attack.  He caught the slight motion of the leg and jerked backwards just in time to avoid the foot that went whistling just shy of his abdomen.

That did it.  Neji’s gaze hardened and he launched himself straight at the man, feet twirling and arms outstretched in the dreaded preliminary form of the Hyuuga _Kaiten._   A whirling blue bubble of pure death surrounded him as he charged forward.

The man backflipped away, tossing an array of objects that splintered or exploded harmlessly against Neji’s shell of energy.  The glowing whirlwind charged onward, shredding or blowing aside anything in its path as it vainly sought to catch the elusive crimefighter.  All the while, Batman continued to hurl back useless projectiles.

Which was why Neji did not pay attention to the small blinking object he threw right in Neji’s path, instead simply charging over it as it blinked faster and faster.

BOOM!

 

 

* * *

 

The glowing blue shield broke apart into little wisps of energy as the white-eyed teenager went flying.  A sickening crack was heard as his body slammed into the wall, and then he slumped down and lay still.

Batman eyed the boy carefully as he approached, but everything indicated a true state of unconsciousness.  Breath rate, eye movement (or lack therof), muscle tension… the teen was well and truly out of it.

Injured too.  A quick examination showed that apparently that hit against the wall had completely broken a few ribs.  Surprising, but perhaps they’d been cracked before the battle.  The wound wasn’t life-threatening and could doubtless be handled by paramedics while Batman tracked the others…

Except he didn’t want paramedics touching this kid.  And those others, whoever they were, had to be long gone by now.  A chase would be worse than pointless.

Batman touched the ear of his cowl. "Alfred." He said. "Have the Computer alert me of any and all police reports concerning three teenagers moving at approximately twenty miles an hour.

"Sir?"

"Just do it. Any word from the League on the other dimensional rifts?"

A short pause. "Superman reported in with some people who fell from the sky."

"Hm." Batman digested that bit of information. "Anything else?"

"No sir. The League investigated the other sites but found nothing. Perhaps an anomaly?"

"Perhaps, but not likely." Batman frowned in thought. "Something's wrong, Alfred. The rifts don't usually open up all over the place like this. And there were kids at this one… dangerous kids. If there were others at the other sites…" Batman shook his head. "Tell Clark to put the League on alert. There's no way of knowing how many got through, or where they are now."

 

* * *

 

"Tch." Sasuke brushed some leaves off his coat. "That was annoying."

"Who the heck WAS that guy?" Frowning, Suigetsu glared at the park they'd left. "He just… came out of nowhere. Like that Tobi dude."

Juugo shrugged. "I don't know. Never seen anything like him before. All green and glowing and…" He frowned. "A relative of that Leaf taijutsu expert?"

"More likely a Kumo nin. But he didn't seem to have any headband, and besides this place is nowhere near Kumo." Suigetsu glanced around. "Come to think of it, where IS this place, anyway? And where's Karin?"

"I'm not sure. When the…"

"This is another dimension." Sasuke interrupted them. "Hatake Kakashi seems to have teleported us using his sharingan. Karin was probably outside of his attack, so she is not here." He let a small huff of frustration. "This is problematic."

"Hmm." Suigetsu pondered that for a moment. "Well… do you know how to get us back?"

"No," responded Sasuke, "but I will. I am not familiar with the technique he used, but it cannot be difficult to imitate."

Juugo nodded quietly. "But until then, we're stuck here."

"Exactly." Sasuke replied. "We need somewhere to stay while I learn the technique."

"Hide, you mean," snorted Suigetsu. "That… whatever-it-was, was looking for us, and there's only one reason why people are ever doing that."

Sasuke coldly eyed the silver-haired man. "I mean we need a secure position. We know little about this dimension, and I'd prefer to act from a position of strength." He pointed across the water. "We'll use that building on the island."

"Yeah, that looks so totally non-conspicuous and out-of-the-way." Suigetsu squinted across at the gleaming building. "There are lights on inside. Might be occupied."

A shrug was his only response. "That's too bad for the occupants. Prepare to move."

"Um… Sasuke–sama?" Juugo spoke up from the rear. "What are we going to do with her?" He indicated the girl in his arms.

"You brought her with us?" Suigetsu almost laughed.

Juugo shifted uneasily. "She was wounded… and we were in a hurry."

"Leave her." Sasuke ordered him, without sparing a glance for the white-eyed girl. "She's of no further use to us." He turned back to the harbor and the odd T-shaped tower on the island. "We have more pressing concerns."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Batman fight is greatly scaled down from the version I had, which sort of had Batman overpowered.


	4. Domination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the League struggles to make sense of what is going on, the Teen Titans have their own run-in with Sasuke's Team Taka.

"Dude, do you ever sleep?" Cyborg eyed Robin as he came bounding up the stairs.

"Not if I can help it," came the response. "What's the matter? Why's the proximity alert going off?"

"Hard to say." Cyborg pressed a few buttons on the panel. "Something approaching over the water at high speed. Could just be a boat, but it's heading pretty much straight for…" He paused as the image came onscreen.

The two were silent for a moment.

                "Well, it's not a boat." Robin reasoned.

"Yeah," muttered Cyborg. "Guess we better batten down the hatches. Anybody we know?"

"Don't recognize them." Robin shook his head. "Too slow to be part of the Flash family. Don’t seem to be friendly." He turned to regard the other Titans as they came blinking up the stairs. "Titans, rea…"

The rest of his statement was broken off as something came smashing through the front of the building.

 

* * *

 

"Fell out of the sky?"

"I was about two miles away when it happened." Superman shrugged. "Just saw it out of the corner of my eye. I could be mistaken."

"Maybe they were skydiving and forgot their parachutes," suggested Flash.      

Hawkgirl snorted. "The plane too?"

She, Flash, and Superman were standing in the observation room above the medical ward, watching their three new visitors (or as Green Arrow had caustically remarked, captives) being tended to in the room below. Several medics were hooking them up to life-support machines, and J'onn J'onnz, resident Martian and telepath, was supervising. As they watched, Mr. Terrific entered the room and tapped J'onn on the shoulder, who nodded and left.

"There might have been a plane, I can't be sure. All I saw were people falling. Didn't really stop to think how they'd gotten there, I just flew over as quickly as I could." Superman rubbed the back of his neck in farmboy-like fashion. "I got Bats' message shortly after I set them down.  Seemed like the best fit.”

The assembled heroes glanced up as J'onn entered the room. "Well?" Hawkgirl asked.

"They are… puzzling." The Martian admitted, glancing back at the three teenagers on their respective beds. "I cannot fully probe their minds."

"You mean like with Thanagarians?" Hawkgirl asked.

"No… not like that.  Reading their memories is not impossible, indeed some are quite accessible. But certain parts of their mind are blocked off." Frowning in thought, J'onn continued, "The resistance is more similar to the technique Batman sometimes employs."

Flash snickered and Superman closed his eyes in frustration but Hawkgirl merely looked interested. "Are you saying they may have had training against this sort of thing?"

"It's possible." J'onn nodded. "Very good training, for them to have achieved it at such an early age and be able to maintain it while comatose…  but yes, I would say they probably were trained."

"So they've dealt with telepaths before, then."

"That seems likely."

Superman nodded. "All right, well, what memories DID you manage to get?"

 

* * *

 

 

"Regroup Titans!" Robin shouted. "Cyborg, take the big kid, Raven, the skinny one. Beast Boy and Star, you're with me on the elemental!"

An elemental. A WATER elemental. That made things enormously complicated, given the location of the Titan's tower. It meant that not only had none of the sensors detected the creature's approach, but that the thing could grow to near tower size and smash into the front.

Cyborg's defense systems never even had a chance to fire, the elemental had smashed any and all weapons to bits, allowing the other two to reach the tower unopposed. How exactly THEY’D gotten up to the control level so quick was another question—Robin’d seen no zip lines and he'd heard no jetpacks.

However, that was immaterial. The simple fact was that all three were now right on top of the Titans and needed to be dealt with. At least they had advantage of numbers. If they could split up the assailants, Robin felt confident they could take them down.

So as Cyborg ran at the strange red-haired kid, and Raven and the dark-haired one engaged in a staring contest, Robin and his allies ran for the hole in the wall and the strange many-toothed monster beyond it. Starfire took off and shot into the sky as Beast Boy transformed into an eagle while Robin simply shot a grappling hook up and jumped to the roof.

The plan, roughly, called for Starfire and Beast Boy to keep the creature corralled near the tower where Robin could hit it. They would overwhelm the creature with superior force and then return to help finish off the others.   Pretty good odds, considering the usual stakes.

Part of Robin worried, though. He knew nothing about any of the attackers, and he hated going into a fight blind. And whoever they were, the fact that they had confidently attacked the Titan headquarters meant that they also felt quite secure in their abilities, unless they simply meant to provide a diversion while a fourth member infiltrated the compound (Robin doubted that). So either they were arrogant or dangerous.

Still. The elemental had to be dealt with immediately.

Green energy shot from Starfire's fingertips, blasting bits of the creature's side away. Immediately fresh water flowed into the wound, restoring the damaged portion in seconds. Robin nodded, that was fairly standard for elemental creatures. A green eagle shot at the creature's back, rapidly shifting into a swordfish as it hit the surface and shifting just as quickly into a shark, moments before being spat back out.

Eyes narrowing, Robin caught sight of what Beast Boy had been aiming for. Deep in the center of the clear water mass, he could see a glimmer of something solid. That must be the elemental's brain, or controller. If they could hit it, the rest would fall apart.

The only problem was getting to it. Robin threw a few explosive pellets, leaping aside as one of the creature's tentacles smashed into the roof beside him. As he rolled to a stop, he saw the splatter damage from his grenades heal up just as quickly as it had been broken down.  _So much for that_.

The tentacle was still after him. He rolled backwards, flipped off to the side, and began running the length of the building. Carefully he measured the distance with his eyes. It would be close, but if he, Starfire, and Beast Boy coordinated their attacks, they might just…

A shrill scream suddenly distracted him.

"Raven!" He heard Beast Boy cry. The green eagle wheeled suddenly and shot for the interior of the building.

Cursing, Robin touched his communicator. "Cyborg?"

"Raven's down." Came the response. "She's alive though. That red-eyed kid is crazy fast, and he's got some kind of electricity ability. Beast Boy, do me a favor and take the red-head. He's a shape-shifter of some kind."

"After I get Raven!"

"She's fine, man! Just get the big kid!"

"Do as he says, Beast Boy." Robin spoke into the communicator, leaping away as another tentacle crashed into the roof, just inches away from him. "Cyborg, you sure you can take red-eyes?"

"You kiddin'? If he uses electricity, I'll just eat it up. And as fast as he is, mah laser's faster." Robin could almost hear the grin in his voice.

"Take him then. Star and I will have to make do by ourselves."  Suddenly finding himself at the end of the roof, Robin skidded to a stop and nearly fell over the railing.  _Real graceful, Boy Wonder._ He looked up as a watery shadow fell over him.

Before the appendage could smash down, a green blur shot past, and he found himself flying through the air in Starfire's arms.  "Robin!" The girl's face was filled with concern. "Is friend Raven alright? Will she be needing the evac? Should we perhaps…"

"She'll be alright. Beast boy and Cyborg are down there, they'll keep an eye on her." He pointed down. "We need to hit that little black dot inside him, Star. But it's just you and me, and it's gonna take a lot of coordination."

"Is that problem?" Starfire's face clouded over momentarily. "I thought you said you and I had skill at the coordination."

"We do." Robin grinned. "That's why this should be fun."

* * *

 

_Well… this can't be good._

Naruto really couldn't think of any other way to appraise the fact that he seemed to be lying in a hard white bed in a hard white room with hard steel bands holding him down. The experience wasn't entirely novel—Granny Tsunade had sometimes ordered similar measures to keep him in hospitals—but it was disturbing, particularly as he doubted this was the Konoha.

First of all, the room itself didn't look familiar. Naruto had had frequent opportunity in his interesting career as a shinobi to observe hospital rooms, and he was on intimate terms with nearly every room in the Konoha medical facility. This one he did not recognize. It was nearly two stories high, stark white, padded all over, and had little in it besides Naruto and the bed.

Second of all, that bed didn't look familiar. More than that, it didn't look like any bed he'd ever seen before. There was no mattress, no pillow, and the blanket was a thin, almost paper-like sheet. Steel bands were passed over his arms, legs, torso, and even neck, keeping him nearly entirely immobilized. The little wiggling he could do convinced him of another interesting fact—the bed had joints. It felt as if the part of the bed each arm was attached to was hinged, so that the doctor could move Naruto's arms about without undoing the cuffs. The same applied for his legs.

Third of all, though, a portion of the white wall had just turned completely clear to reveal a man gazing down on him. Naruto would have shrugged even that off if the man hadn't been completely bald, dressed in the strangest clothes Naruto had ever seen, and flanked by two utterly bizarre samurai-like men.

This was definitely not Konoha. And being imprisoned in any place that was not Konoha was not good.

"Good morning." The man's voice echoed through a loudspeaker somewhere in the room; powerful, imperious, and just a touch smug. This man was used to getting what he wanted. "I'm sorry for the… accommodations, but I'm afraid you gave my men rather a start last night."

Last night. Naruto tried to recall what had happened. He'd been running to catch up with the others, because they'd gone off to hunt Sasuke. He'd gotten there…

Naruto's eyes went wide. "Where are my friends?" He demanded, throwing himself against the bands.

"Your friends?" The man arched an eyebrow. "We're taking care of them. They seemed badly wounded when they arrived, but they are quite safe—for the moment."

Naruto didn't quite like the tone of that last remark. "Where am I?"  He asked, sinking back down onto the bed.   "And what's with the handcuffs?" 

"As I said, you gave my men quite a start last night. We had to make sure you didn't go rampaging around killing people again." Naruto froze at that comment. "Also, I don't think you quite understand the position that you're in. After all, you four were trespassing, a very serious offense when you're dealing with a man like myself. You're hardly in a position to be asking questions."

The man's smile made a shiver run down Naruto's spine. "Screw you!" he yelled. "Where am I?"

"I don't think you heard me the first time." The man's gaze turned cold. "You are in no position to ask questions. You and your friends are in serious trouble. Even without the breaking and entering, you killed nearly thirty of my men."

Thirty? Naruto paused. He didn't think... but then, he was rarely clear-headed in Kyuubi mode. He knew he'd tapped into the fox's power a little when he'd charged at Sasuke, but then... then he had a foggy memory of throwing men left and right in a strange white hallway, and a vague dread of those men getting to his friends. But he didn't think he'd killed thirty.

In any case, that still didn't explain how he'd gotten here, or even where "here" was. And the man had said "four" of you. That meant there were only three of his friends here. Where were the others? And sensei?

The man seemed to take his silence as submission, for his voice took on more pleased tone. "Fortunately, I am… interested in how you managed that. It's no small feat for you to break in here, or to kill so many people. You seem to have a great deal of power." He leaned a little closer to the glass. "And power interests me."

Naruto suppressed another shiver.

"I suppose I could simply cut into you and find out, but I’m not sure it’d do much good," mused the man. "Meta powers aren’t always so… scientific.  Certainly, if you simply told me instead, it would be much less troublesome—and painful—for all concerned.." He paused a moment. "Don't you agree?"

Now, Naruto wasn't smart, but he wasn't nearly as stupid as he used to be. Four years ago, he might have simply yelled "screw you" at the man again and ended up getting his comrades and him sliced open. Granted, that was better than the alternative—give up village secrets—but it still wasn't ideal.

The ideal was to deceive this man as cleverly as possible so he didn't cut them up. And given that the man apparently didn't know about the Kyuubi, chakra, or—presumably—Konoha, Naruto felt he had pretty good odds of doing just that.

So after a moment's hesitation, Naruto slowly nodded.

"Good." The man smirked. "Now, tell me everything you know about this strange red energy you have. Where it comes from, how it works, how I can replicate it… anything that might be useful."

 

* * *

 

Sasuke frowned in annoyance at the odd opponent facing him. He was tall, broad, and dark-skinned, possibly a missing Kumo-nin. Nearly half his body was sheathed in armor, and one eye—vaguely similar to the device Deidara had once worn—glowed an angry red.  Whatever he was, the man was a formidable opponent. His armor seemed to have lightning coursing through it, and Sasuke's chidori blade was having no effect. Worse yet, he seemed to be able to send pure chakra out of one of his arms, much like Juugo. Sasuke had to keep moving about to avoid the lethal blasts that streamed at him.

 _I need more penetration than the blade_ , he decided, collecting chakra and focusing natural energy through his arm. His hand began to crackle with lightning.

The man glanced at him and his eyes widened. "Dude, that is freaky."

Ignoring the sentiment, Sasuke rushed forward, darting under the man's outstretched hands and stabbing toward the armored stomach. Unable to defuse all the energy, the armor gave, and Sasuke's hand smashed into the Kumo-nin's chest. The man howled in pain and his arm swiped down, Sasuke leaping back before the expected counterattack.

The thing spilling out of the man's chest, on the other hand, was completely unexpected. The man seemed to have no stomach at all. Metal wires and hoses poked out from where flesh and blood should be. The whole wound crackled with Raiton energy and some kind of black blood came spurting out.

Unbidden, the words came to him _. That is freaky._

"Aw, man, my oil line!" The man scowled in fury, glancing at the wound. He looked back up at Sasuke. "That thing was practically brand new, dude! Do you have any idea how hard it is to replace those?"

Sasuke made no reply.

The man heaved himself back up. "Now I'm angry!"

Dodging as another blast of pure chakra destroyed the wall behind him, Sasuke considered his options. He felt reasonably confident in Juugo's ability to deal with the annoying green… creature that he was fighting. Suigetsu, though, was dealing the flying girl and the boy.

That boy bothered Sasuke. Something in the look of him told Sasuke he would not go down easily.

He needed to finish this fight quickly. "I tire of this." He commented, leaping away from another blast. He locked gazes with the armor-clad man. "Tsukuyomi!" he cried, activating the genjutsu.

As expected, the man froze in place before crumpling to the ground. Sasuke, smiling grimly, whipped out his sword and ran forward…

…only to be met by four pounds of metallic fist right in his face.

"Dude, I don't know what kind of weird mindo-mojo you just pulled there," said the man, struggling to his feet. "But it ain't gonna work on me. You may fool the one half of me, but you can't fool the other half."

Sasuke had only a few seconds to consider what that might mean before another blast of Chakra shot toward him.

* * *

"They're not any of ours, I can tell you that," observed the heavyset woman as she peered through the glass. "Meta experiments have been discontinued ever since Cadmus."

Superman frowned. "Boy Scout or not, I’m not stupid, Waller." Despite several years of working with the Justice League as the government liason, many league members, including Superman, still saw Amanda Waller as the former head of the Cadmus project. They trusted her exactly as far as they had to.

"Believe what you want, but they're not anyone I've seen before." Waller shrugged. "In any case, I don't suppose the Justice League would care to explain why they have three minors imprisoned without jurisdiction in the Metro Tower?"

Superman shifted uncomfortably. Green Arrow, who had arrived alongside Waller, snorted and threw a pointed look at Hawkgirl, who simply rolled her eyes. Finally, J'onn spoke up. "Batman believes them to be visitors from another dimension."

"Does he?" Waller grunted, her tone just a trace less hostile. Though she might never admit it, the woman had a grudging respect for the Dark Knight. "And he suggested that you welcome the extradimensional visitors by imprisoning them against their will?"

"We’re not… imprisoning them.”  Superman insisted. “Not really.  They were badly injured when I found them, the medics are mostly repairing the damage."

Flash nodded. "Bringing them here is just part of the protocol we have for these things.  We call it procedure… what was that again?"

"Procedure Isolate and Mediate." J'onn supplied. "It is similar in design to the government's First Contact protocol. We remove the extra-dimensional visitors from civilian areas where we can observe and interact with them in a controlled environment."

Waller did not seem to put much stock in the assertion. "Hmph. I suppose that's what the manacles are for."

"My preliminary observations suggest caution is justified." J'onn warned. "I managed to ascertain that they are some kind of soldiers from a place called 'Konoha.' Their wounds are the result of a recent mission."

"These? But…" Superman fumbled for words. "These are just kids!"

"They're sixteen, Supes. We have league members about that age."  Flash reminded him.

Waller was eying J'onn suspiciously. "I thought you said you couldn't read their minds."

"Not fully, no. The pale boy seems to have some sort of barrier around his mind, and the girl's mind…" J'onn hesitated. "But the second boy, the one with the bugs, is much easier to penetrate. He has some form of mental defense, but not as much as the other ones. I owe most of my knowledge about the three of them to him."

Waller nodded, apparently satisfied. "What have you learned, apart from what you told me about this 'Konoha?'" She noticed the members exchange looks. "Or is this some 'League Business' that I shouldn't ask about?" She added sarcastically.

"Not at all, Miss Waller, it's just that most of what we have isn't very helpful, and the rest of it doesn't make sense." J'onn gestured to the beds. "We know that the pale boy is called Sai, the girl is called Yamanaka Ino, and the boy whose mind I penetrated is known as Aburame Shino. Although the exact nature of their mission is unclear, I gather that they were in a pitched battle with a fugitive of some kind."

Green Arrow cast another look at the wounded teenagers. "Pretty powerful one, I'd guess."

"That does seem to be the thrust of the boy's memories." J'onn nodded.

"Do you think they were pursuing the fugitive here?" Superman frowned. "Is that why they're in our dimension?"

J'onn paused. "That's one of the difficulties. I cannot find any memory of their having come here, or even of having planned to come here. Given their state of arrival—" he once again gestured at the beds "—I doubt they are part of a pursuit team, or an invasion."

"But you still consider them dangerous."

"Oh yes." J'onn nodded. "From what I saw of their combat with the fugitive, it appears that the boy Shino can control bugs, while the girl Ino is capable of some kind of… possession, and the boy Sai…" here J'onn grimaced, "…can bring drawings to life."

The others stared at him.

"The images were somewhat unclear." He admitted.

"Fine." Waller grunted in annoyance. "You've convinced me. I'll inform the President we have an off-world situation and recommend he leave it in your hands. Before I go, though…" she gazed at the others. "…is there any chance that that fugitive, or any more of these dimensional visitors, are still running around out there?"

"There's at least three more," answered a gravelly voice behind her, "and they're all dangerous." A somewhat weathered-looking Batman dumped the limp form of a pale-eyed teenager to the floor. "Ran into some in Gotham. Managed to get this one, but the others ran off. Take him in, J'onn, see what you can learn from him." The Martian nodded and wordlessly signaled two orderlies to take the unconscious boy. Batman turned his full attention to the crowd. "You mentioned a fugitive. Care to share?"

* * *

 

Robin flipped through the air, shooting another couple pellets at the watery monstrosity. Three. He noted. That left him exactly four left, plus the special one he was keeping in reserve. He'd need to conserve them if this plan was to work.

It was amazing, really. He hadn't even had to spend a lot of time telling Starfire what to do. The plan required precision timing and minute execution, yet Robin had no qualms about it whatsoever. Starfire and he would pull it off flawlessly. On one level, he supposed that was simply because they'd gotten so good at what they did. But on another level, he knew it was a lot more than that.

Robin had always been good at fighting, but battling alongside Star always felt so fluid, so easy. He could predict her every move, and she could anticipate his every attack. Almost instinctively, they knew when to cover, support, or assist one another. It was like some strange kind of second sense… it was just so right.

So despite all of the variables involved in this plan, he knew they could pull it off.

He just hoped Beast Boy and Cyborg were doing alright. That one side of the building was virtually erupting with laser fire. Cyborg was still on the line, though apparently the red-eyed kid was a bit more trouble than he’d planned. The usually chatty Beast Boy, however, was silent. Whether that was because he was unconscious, too busy to talk, or simply incredibly angry, Robin had no idea.

In any case, he and Star needed to wrap this up and get back to help them.

He picked up a charge in his hand and watched as Starfire flew in circles around the creature's head. Within the massive watery blob, he could see the dark speck moving about, tracking her movements and initiating counterattacks, apparently, unaware that the gambit slowly brought him closer and closer to Robin’s position on the tower.

Robin waited until he judged them close enough, and then ran toward the edge, leaping into the air. Already Starfire was drawing back, her hands charging with energy.  As he flew over the creature's head, Robin chucked down two of his remaining charges, one on either side. The dark speck did not even glance up as Robin fired his grappling hook back to the building, a smile on his lips.

The charges exploded against the creature's sides. The speck glanced around in surprise, drawing himself toward the center of his watery armor…

…right into the path of Starfire's enormous energy blast.

When he heard the scream, Robin's grapple had already carried him halfway back, but he spared a glimpse backwards anyway. Starfire's sustained burst was eating up the entire front of the creature, and the black speck was fleeing to the far side of the blob. But even without looking, Robin knew Starfire wouldn't reach him. She didn't have the energy to keep that up for long.

Good thing she didn't have to.

The roof rose up to meet Robin's feet, and he threw himself into a roll before bracing out his feet and sliding to a stop. Without even waiting for the pain in his legs to fade, he leapt back up, running again for the roof's edge, this time without his grapple. His hands flew for the two remaining charges.

Starfire's energy was gone. The glow had faded and she looked slightly pale as she drew back, watching all the water she had blown away seconds ago flow back into place. Robin could see the black speck practically sneering at her.

The black speck that was still on the far side of the blob, away from Starfire. The side closest to the tower. The side closest to Robin.

As he leapt from the tower, Robin threw his last two explosive charges at the creature's back, and just as quickly threw the last, special capsule right after them.

The capsule was special because Robin didn't carry many of them. He didn't carry many because he didn't have to use them very often. He didn't have to use them very often because there were limited uses for exploding liquid nitrogen containers. After all, how often do you need to freeze a large amount of water?

The first two charges burst the surface of the water. The capsule shot into the blob just as the surface closed over again.

_One, two…_

The inside of the blob exploded into crystalline whiteness. The black speck didn't even have a chance to move before it was encased in ice. The rest of the creature simply collapsed, and all that was left was an enormous piece of ice, floating in the bay.

Robin had just enough time to acknowledge the fact that he was in freefall before there was another green blur and he found himself being hugged by a very happy, very enthusiastic, very strong Tamaranian.

"We did it Robin!" She squealed. "We did it! Just like you said!"

"Star…" Robin managed to wheeze. "Rib… cage…"

"Oh! I offer the apologies, Robin!" Starfire loosened her grip slightly.

"Thank… you."

"What do we do now?"

An explosion from the tower answered that question.

 

* * *

 

 

"Still no sign of Neji?"

Standing at the door, Lee simply shook his head in answer.

"Maybe he can't find us." Chouji volunteered. "We're in a big city, after all, and we ran a long way. Even the Byakugan might not be able to tell."

Sighing, Sakura shook her head. She hated to crush the boy's hopes, but she knew they had to look at it realistically. "We're in a city of people without chakra. Like he said himself, we'd stand out like a bright light.  If he was able to, he'd have found us by now."

The words and their implications hung heavy in the air. Chouji swallowed and bent his head. Lee sunk to his knees and braced himself against the wall. Sakura simply closed her eyes.

_A ninja must not show his emotions in any situation. A ninja must prioritize his mission first and not show any tears._

Of all the rules in the ninja world, Sakura had always had the most difficult time with that one. Perhaps because she was a woman, perhaps because she'd always been tender-hearted, perhaps simply because she'd never gone through a real war. But they had no time to grieve for Neji. As long as they were in unknown territory, pursued by a presumably hostile force, they needed to keep moving. The room they'd broken into would hold them for the night, but not much longer. They needed to keep it together.  For the first time she truly understood the reasons behind that rule.

She understood now why you did it, but she still didn't know how.  And a small part of her wondered how many comrades you had to lose before you DID learn.

"We should rest." She managed. "Conserve our chakra. No telling when that man will be back."

"If he was coming, it seems like he should have caught up by now." Chouji suggested. "He probably lost us. I mean, he doesn't have the Byakugan, right?"

"He found us before."

Chouji frowned. "Yeah, that's true. Maybe we'd better set up some kind of watch?"

"Good idea." Sakura nodded brokenly.

"Guess that's me then." Chouji sighed, standing to his feet. "Well, it's not like either of you can." He said, in response to the stares. "Lee, you're injured all over, and Sakura… you've not only been healing, you've been punching holes in buildings. I've got the least injuries, and I can replenish just by eating." He glanced down at the bag of chips he'd found. "Which doesn't appear to be a problem."

Too tired and distraught to argue, Sakura yielded to Chouji's advice. Kneeling, she dusted off a portion of the floor and lay down on the concrete. From her prone position, she watched the chubby boy help Lee to his feet and then seat himself in the doorway, nonchalantly munching on chips. A part of her wondered how the Akimichi could stay so calm, but another part of her simply thanked Kami that he was.

Suddenly, something nudged her in the side, and she glanced up to see an apologetic Lee, carrying a huge piece of cardboard. "It will be softer." He insisted. "And cleaner. Please accept it, Sakura-san."

Sakura managed a slight smile. "Thanks, Lee." She half-sat up, accepting the cardboard and spreading it on the ground.  As she shifted over onto it, she glanced at him and frowned. "Don't you have one? There must be lots out there."

"Yosh!" The exclamation had little of its former enthusiasm, but somehow still sparked the gleam in Lee’s eye. "Sleeping on the ground hardens the muscles and strengthens the skin. I shall sleep for four hours on the ground, and if I cannot do that..."

Only Lee could turn sleeping into a training exercise, she reflected wearily. "It's okay, Lee. I get it. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Sakura-san." He started to move away, then, hesitating, spoke again. "Are you… feeling well, Sakura-san?"

Inwardly, Sakura groaned. Lee's devotion to her could be sweet at times, but at the moment it was simply annoying. "No, Lee. I'm not. We're stuck in a strange city, away from all our friends, being pursued by some mystery ninja who's already killed or captured Neji." She snapped. "I'm not feeling well at all, but there's not much I can do about it right now except get some sleep. So would you please let me rest now?"

She regretted the words almost immediately. Neji had not only been Lee's teammate, he'd been his "eternal rival." The spandex-clad chunin had lost more than anyone in the group, the last thing he needed was a taste of her irritation.

But to her surprise, Lee did not look hurt at all, merely serious. "I understand, Sakura-san. I too am not feeling well." He replied earnestly. "But do not worry. I shall protect you from whatever dangers we encounter, or I shall run nine thousand laps around this city!" For a second his eyes hardened. "And then I shall kill the one who harmed you."

Sakura stared at him for a moment. "And… if you can't do that?" There was always another side to Lee's self-imposed punishments.

"Then I shall die trying." Lee replied, deadly serious.

For a long time Sakura simply looked at him, studying his face, as if searching for a hidden meaning to his words.  Finally she turned over. "You'd better get to sleep, Lee." She said. Lee gave a little nod and turned to leave. "And Lee?"

He paused.

"Thanks."

 

* * *

 

 

"Sasuke-sama! Look out!" Juugo leapt aside as a red-and-green clad figure shot down from the roof. He recognized him—the nin-leader from before.

As the fight had gone on, Juugo had been feeling worse and worse about it. Granted, he hadn't liked it to begin with—the inhabitants of the building hadn't exactly done anything to them—but he'd become used to things like that long ago.

But now his unease stemmed from an entirely different cause. He was no longer sure they could match these fighters. The fighter who'd attacked him initially—the blue armored one—had been a formidable warrior, much like Juugo in his incredible strength and ability to shoot pure chakra. Fortunately that warrior had quickly gone after Sasuke, and Juugo'd had to deal with some odd green creature instead. He hadn't expected him to put up much of a fight, but the creature had the disturbing ability to shift his very form. Juugo'd wasted a lot of time trying to figure out if it was a genjutsu, and after he'd decided it wasn't, he'd spent even more time trying to predict the creature's incredibly varied attacks. He hadn't really been in danger, but if Sasuke-sama hadn't used his black flames on the creature and the blue warrior (and Juugo, incidentally), it would have taken significantly longer to defeat him

But now the other two were back, and Juugo was feeling even worse, because if they were back, that meant Suigetsu was down, and THAT meant these two were powerful. He wasn't sure, but he thought the orange girl could even fly.

At the moment, that wasn't important, however. At the moment, what was important was that the green and red one was charging toward Sasuke-sama, something that could not be allowed. Roaring, Juugo ran at the insolent nin.

He had hardly set one foot in front of the other, however, when a sudden blur punched all the air out of him. By the time he realized he'd been struck, he was already smashing into the back wall, an orange and powerful girl shooting towards him. He barely managed to get his arms up before she plowed into his midsection, driving him through the wall and out the other side of the tower.

Distantly, Juugo noted that his observation about the girl was completely accurate. She COULD fly. They were nearly fifty feet above the water right now, and Juugo couldn’t exactly fly.  But he could do the next best thing.

Juugo's back erupted into rockets of pure chakra, propelling them toward the water as he latched hold of the girl. Sensing the sudden change in momentum, she struggled wildly against his arms, but Juugo retained his grip. Though the girl was surprisingly strong, he was stronger.

Then, moments before impact, her eyes lit up with a strange green light.

Juugo saw the flash before he felt the pain, and felt the pain before he noticed he'd been blown backward, away from the girl. But the second he'd seen the eyes, his feeling about the battle had suddenly gotten worse. Where the girl had gotten the ability to shoot chakra from her fingertips, Juugo didn't pretend to understand.

He focused his chakra as he hit the water, and went skimming over the surface, finally sliding to a stop some feet away. He stood up as the strange orange girl flew to a stop some twenty feet away from him.

For a while they just stood there, Juugo standing still on the water, the orange girl floating just above it, hands glowing.

"Forgive me." The girl spoke at last. "I do not wish to give you pain, but I cannot allow you to harm my friends."

Juugo closed his eyes as he felt the old familiar pang.  Allowing himself one last feeling of regret, he triggered the transformation. "Neither…" he said as his dark curse seal engulfed him, "…can I."

 

* * *

 

 

"So your power is some kind of an intangible mystic force that will die along with you and depends on your enthusiasm or 'willingness' for a certain task. It's not something you completely understand, but you say your ability to summon it depends largely on your own health and well-being in your 'un-powered' state. Also you say you don't know how I can replicate or control this power."

"Like I said, I don't completely understand it myself." Naruto tried a grin. This was significantly harder than he had thought. The man asked a LOT of questions, and not all of them were the kind Naruto understood. "But I'm pretty sure you can't find it by cutting into me or drawing insane amounts of blood or anything like that."

"Oh? And how did you discover that?"

"Uh…" Naruto thought. "I've had a lot of swords cut into me."

"I thought you said that that sort of thing affected your ability to summon it."

"Oh it does! It does! But… uh…" Naruto tried for some more fast thinking. "In fact, that's why it's so difficult for me to summon it currently! I've been hurt so many times while I'm like this," he gestured at the cuffs, "that it's gotten really really hard for me to call on it. I need like a fifteen-minute wait before I can summon it these days."

"I see." The man nodded. "Now… as to your friends… do they have comparable powers?"

Naruto thought this through carefully. There were many reasons why a man like this might want a jinchuuriki, none of them very nice or pleasant. But on the other hand, this man had said earlier that the only reason he had kept Naruto and his friends alive was because of his power. Hence, if he knew the others weren't jinchuurikis, he might just kill them.

"I don't know about comparable." He said, very carefully. "Different, certainly. They're all very strong, in their own way. But I don't know how their powers work. You'd have to ask them."

"I see. Thank you very much." The man gestured, and the glass pane suddenly shifted to opaque white.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, but did not dare to do much more. The man might still be watching, after all. Hopefully that information would keep him busy for a while, but Naruto couldn't be sure. And what if one of his friends unwittingly gave the whole thing away? Trapped like this, none of them would be able to fight back, they could only lie still.

_Lie still…_

A slow grin spread across Naruto's face, and he closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind to sense the natural chakra surrounding him…

 

* * *

 

 

The fight between them was silent, efficient, and utterly ruthless. Blazing sword clashed against cold white staff, kunai flew past batarangs, and feet shot back and forth in a frenzied dance of death.

Robin was utterly in his element.  Rarely did he get to experience such a match-up of pure martial ability.  No meta powers, no robotic suits, just speed, skill, and strength. Oh, the man had a few extra powers—breathing fire and some sort of lightning fist that Robin’d easily avoided—but for the most part the red-eyed man had relied lightning-fast reflexes and some very unique moves.   Exactly the sort of opponent Robin loved to fight.  And his silence suited Robin just fine—normally enemies wasted all sorts of time trying to taunt him into making mistakes.

At the same time, though, it disturbed him. Taunting indicated arrogance, which could often be exploited into underestimation. This man was taking him seriously, and as gratifying as that was, it removed a valuable weapon from Robin’s arsenal.  Which, when their talents matched so exactly, could make all the difference.

Robin flipped out of the way of the swiping blade and tossed smoke pellets at the teen, who was forced to deflect them with his sword. Using this momentary distraction, Robin dashed forward, shifting his bo staff into a fighting position. Quicker than he would have thought possible, though, the other's sword whipped back up to meet him. The two met, rebounded, attacked, and blocked in rapid succession, a flurry of attacks that few could follow.

One other thing that vaguely worried Robin—and irritated him somewhat—was that he felt this guy wasn’t fighting at his full potential.  Some very un-Cyborg-like wounds were in evidence, and Robin’d noticed some bad burn marks and blood stains on the man’s clothing.  He seemed a little winded, too, if that was possible for someone so fast.  Yet he kept up with Robin exactly.  And if this guy HAD beaten Cyborg, he probably had some other tricks that he hadn't used yet.

Ducking under the man's sword, Robin kicked at the man's legs, only for them to leap out of range. He glanced up to see the man's fingers moving rapidly, and rolled left just in time to avoid a flurry of fireballs that came spurting from the teens mouth. Leaping out of the last roll, he threw a series of pellets at the man.

As expected, the teenager moved to deflect them with his sword. And, as expected, when he tried to deflect the explosive pellets, they burst apart and sent him flying back towards the wall. Robin grinned but knew he could waste no time. Dashing forward, he raised his staff in what he intended to be a crushing blow.

The teen's head popped out of the rubble and glared directly at him. For a second his eyes flashed and something in them seemed to shift.

Robin hadn't lived as long as he had as a crimefighter without learning one important fact: When the villain's eyes did something funny like that, you got the heck out of the way. So, without breaking stride, he pushed off on his foremost foot and leapt into the air.

Exactly one second later, he was heartily grateful for that, as the entire back of the Tower burst into flames—black flames, he couldn't help noticing. Robin didn't pretend to understand how THAT had happened, but there it was. And fast as he was, he couldn't pretend to be faster than eyesight. His entire leg was burning.

Clenching his teeth tight against the pain, Robin tumbled to the ground, ripping off his boot. It didn't solve the whole problem, but his foot at least was whole again. His leg though... He grabbed a extinguisher pellet and smashed it into his leg, only to stare in disbelief as the flames burned right through it.

_This isn't working. Need to come up with something new. Perhaps…_

A shrill scream broke his thoughts, and he whipped around to gaze out at the lake. The grey-skinned monster standing on the water was wholly unfamiliar, but there was no mistaking the broken orange body in his arms.

"Star!" He cried, struggling forward. In that same instant, he heard the step of someone behind him and realized he was done for.

Crushing blackness struck the back of his head and swallowed him up.

 

* * *

 

 

"Japanese, you say?" Mr. Terrific eyed Batman curiously.

"A variation of it perhaps, but close enough." Batman nodded irritably. "What's the problem?"

"Well… none of them look exactly Asian… Granted, they're from another dimension, but it seems that if the language was the same, the characteristics would be roughly similar also."

Flash spoke up. "Maybe it's an alternate universe where Japan rules the world?"

"Possible." The scientist mused.

"Bats, do you ever even CONSIDER the diplomatic approach?" Superman rubbed his eyes. "You meet these kids, fresh from another dimension, and the first thing you do is attack them?"

Glaring, Batman responded, "THEY'RE the intruders here. Not us. I don't need to justify being in my own dimension, but anybody who's crossed over from one to the other had better be able to prove their intentions are peaceful." He gestured at the teenager he'd brought in. "By the time I got there, they were up, ready, and prepared to attack. I wasn't about to let them get loose."

"They did anyway. Anyway, it's possible they came here by accident, right?"

Mr. Terrific shrugged. "That sort of stuff is speculative until they wake up and we can question them more directly." Mr. Terrific, in addition to being J'onn's replacement as League Coordinator, was widely regarded as the third-smartest man alive. The League had no one better suited to investigate the scientific aspect of their visitors. "J'onn said he didn't find any memory of it in their mind, but that could easily be due to the effect of the dimensional warp. It's hard to know for sure, unless you want him to go digging around for more specific information."

"Best to wait on that until we know more about their physiology." Superman shook his head decisively. "We're not sure what we're dealing with here, we should handle them as carefully as possible." He threw a glance over at the Martian. "J'onn only did that to help the medics."

Arrow snorted but the others ignored him. "What did you learn from your analysis?" Batman asked.

"Well... anatomically, they're essentially human, though the third boy's eyes have some abnormalities I'd like to examine further, and the second boy—Shino—has several odd… compartments in his body where he kept the bugs." Mr. Terrific paused a moment. "Based on my and J'onn's info, I would guess that he has a symbiotic relationship with the insects. Separating them could be dangerous for the boy."

"Letting him keep them might be dangerous for us." Hawkgirl pointed out.

"Leave them in." Superman's voice cut off any further argument. "We can't risk a death on our hands, not until we know more. Put him in a space suit or something if you’re really worried."

Mr. Terrific nodded agreement and continued. "As I said, they're mostly human. In fact, several of the cellular anomalies we observed in the… arm… could not be found in their cells."

"Like the mouth in the hand?"

"That was one of them, yes." Replied the man evenly, ignoring Flash's grin. "There were several others, but I won't go into them now. What's important is the one similarity. I have a theory about what those nano-mitochondriac structures are for."

Batman nodded, apparently satisfied, but the rest of the leaguers looked blank. "Huh?" said Flash.

"When we were examining the arm, there were some elements in the cells that we didn't understand," explained the scientist. "I found some similar elements in the cells we took from the patients…" Green Arrow snorted again "…and saw what they do."

"And?"

"Well... I still can't quite tell... but they're giving off a faint radioactive signature."

"What?"

"Faint, mind you. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems their body is generating some kind of energy-not necessarily atomic, but related. If I'm right, it might explain the large amount ATP energy present in their cells." He frowned. "And there's something else in there too. Perhaps some kind of psychic energy-but you say you didn't sense anything like that, J'onn."

"I wasn't particularly looking for it." The martian shrugged.

Batman interrupted. "Can you suppress it?"

Mr. Terrific frowned. "That seems dangerous. Given its apparent ties to the body's energy system, I'm not sure I could suppress the one without damaging the other. I'm not sure that that's a risk we want to take."

"Listen to the man." Green Arrow nodded. "These are kids, for crying out loud. Let's try not to kill them while we're busy keeping them imprisoned."

"I fought these 'kids.' You didn't." Batman gritted his teeth. "Don't try and tell me they're harmless."

J'onn cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "There is one other matter of interest." He stated. "My examination of Batman's prisoner revealed that he was another participant in the battle I witnessed in the second boy's mind."

All eyes were instantly on the Martian. "He's the fugitive?"

"No. He was another member of the team pursuing the fugitive—a sizeable team, from what I could gather."

"How sizeable?" Superman furrowed his brow in thought.

J'onn winced. "The boy had a curiously wide range of vision. I can't be positive, but it seems there was a team of thirteen."

"THIRTEEN?"

"The boy had some kind of mental barrier." J'onn reminded them. "I could be wrong. But my best guess runs at twelve children and one adult. What their abilities were, I cannot say, but I think it safe to say they're on a par with our prisoners here."

"And this fugitive character brought them all down." Hawkgirl shook her head. "If he IS here, this could be a problem."

"Indeed." J'onn nodded. "Because if what I saw is accurate, the fugitive had a team of his own with him. At least three others."

There was a moment of silence as the Leaguers digested this information. Then Batman turned to Mr. Terrific. "You're sure you had people check all the rift sites?"

"I'm sure," came the response. "The second your call came in, we teleported league members to each location. We sent Green Lantern to Jump City, told Superman about Metropolis, called in Hawkgirl for the spot in the Rockies, and teleported Green Arrow to Hub City. We didn't send anyone to Gotham, but…" he gestured at the patients. "It looks like you took care of that pretty well."

Batman frowned. "Why'd you send Green Arrow to Hub City?"

"Hey!" The archer glared at Batman.

"No, no." Batman shook his head impatiently. "I mean, isn't that Question's city? Why didn't you call him in on it?"

There were a few glances exchanged around the room. "Question wasn't available."

"He must be off on one of his conspiracy trails." Hawkgirl snorted. "Wouldn't want us 'tracing' him, I suppose. I hate to think of what he's doing right now."

 

* * *

 

 

"Dude, you're some kinda crazy!" Kiba screamed at the odd faceless man.

"Tell me what you know!" insisted his captor, shining the blinding light at the chunin's face. "You can't hide the truth from me! What is NASA doing with those shoelaces? And why are the Girl Scouts suddenly adding 'new organic ingredients' to their cookies? What do they have planned?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, you psycho!"

The man leaned back and stroked his chin. "You are stubborn. The Illuminati has trained you well."

Kiba sighed and shook his head in frustration. Sure, the man spoke Japanese, but even so he made no sense!

The sheer ridiculousness of the situation had a certain humor to it. In fact, if he wasn't chained to a chair in the middle of a squalid apartment somewhere in this bizarre city, the whole thing would be really pretty freaking funny. And, of course, if he didn't happen to be in the same room with psycho who asked crazy questions. Granted, the man hadn't pulled any serious tricks yet—in the interrogation business the guy seemed to be something of an amateur—so things could be worse. Mostly all he'd done was shine a light in his face and make vague threats.

The man was back. "Tell me, what do you know about paper clips? Who is the true 'Knight Rider?' The broccoli farmers in the South… what are they planning? Your masters can't protect you here! Tell me who you are, where you come from, what you do!"

"I come from Konoha, my name is Kiba, I'm a chunin-level ninja who rides a giant dog, and you're a psycho!"

The man snorted and drew back. "Too easy! Think you can put me off with lies like that? You don't look like any ordinary ninja to me. That story of yours is good, but far too simple. There's more you're hiding, I'm sure, and I won't rest until I get it!"

"Dude…" Kiba groaned, fighting back a headache. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

 

"In any case," Batman concluded, "Question was the one who discovered this dimensional abnormality, so he should be apprised of the facts. He may actually know something useful."

Hawkgirl shook her head. "I doubt it."

"I do too, but Batman's right." Superman said, standing to his feet. "Question's better at drawing connections between things than anyone. And if there's a possibility that this fugitive is running loose in Hub City, we ought to pull out all the stops. As soon as you can, get in touch with him."

"We should focus on the other areas too." Hawkgirl nodded. "I might have missed something in the Rockies… We could get some other fliers to look it over."

"Since we know there are three in Gotham already, we could maybe send…"

Superman's voice trailed off at Batman's glare. "My city."

"Fine." Superman sighed. "We'll leave that to you and your family. That means we contact Question in Hub City, send others over the Rocky Mountains, maybe send a few more parties around Metropolis, and…" He frowned a moment. "Do we have any allies in Jump City?"

"You kidding?" Flash frowned. "How could you forget the Titans? Just drop them a message and they'll be all over it."

 

* * *

 

 

Juugo laid the orange girl down to the floor. "That's the last of them, Sasuke-sama."

"Good." Sasuke nodded.

"I got dibs on the red and green one." snarled Suigetsu. "Little bastard hit me from the rear with some kinda ice attack… I swear, give me five seconds with him and he'll…"

"You're not doing anything to any of them right now. We need information about this world and these captives are our most ready source." Sasuke shifted around to glare at Suigetsu. "Though in the future, you will ensure that they do not take you so easily. If we imprison them properly, we should have no difficulty keeping track of them."

Juugo breathed a sigh of relief while Suigetsu seethed.

"Now." Sasuke turned back to face the window. "We will secure this building and begin preparations. I must learn how to master the jutsu my sensei employed, but we must also make this building defensible, in case any of the others come after us."

Suigetsu quirked an eyebrow. "Others?"

"The Leaf nins."

"You think they're here too?" Juugo asked.

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged. "It's very possible. As I said, I'm not certain how the jutsu works, but since Kakashi sent the Hyuuga with us, I'd guess he might have trouble controlling it."

"It might have been an accident. She was right by us in the forest."

"So was Naruto." The others fell silent at that remark. "We must be as careful as we can not to attract attention. It seems the inhabitants of this world are more dangerous than I had assumed. If any more of them discover us we may need to relocate."

 

* * *

 

 

"Drat." The reporter muttered as she pulled her car to a stop. "Get out of bed at this late hour, drive all the way down here, and it's already over. Can't those Titans choose to have their battles in the daytime? Or at least make them last longer?" She sighed. "Suppose I might as well get up and take a look around."

She popped open the door and stepped out, high heels clicking against the pavement. Grunting, she hefted a camera and began clicking. "Don't suppose I'll even get a statement from them saying what the heck happened." She muttered. "What on earth was White thinking, sending me out to a dump like this when I could be…"

Something in the corner of her viewfinder caught her eye. "What the…" She put down the camera and hurried forward toward a limp form on the end of the dock. "Oh my word."

Quickly she whipped out a cell phone and began dialing. "Hello? Yes, this is Lois Lane, I've found a girl down by the docks. She seems to be badly injured."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved the old Teen Titans, and when I started writing this, I knew I had to find some way to fit them in, particularly since there are so many fun opportunities for interaction. A number of people have pointed out that the timelines don't really make sense, as Teen Titans is generally agreed to take place between BTAS and TNBAS, long before Justice League. But eh. I invoke the rule of Awesome.


	5. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League has prisoners. Luthor's got prisoners. Sasuke's got prisoners. Lois has a story.

After lying still for nearly half-an-hour in a fruitless attempt to commune with nature, Naruto concluded that something was wrong. 

Gathering natural energy was surprisingly difficult.  First of all, there seemed to be nothing around them for miles except metal and plastic (which did him no good at all) and then dirt (which was better but still difficult) and then finally wind (which was the easiest one for him to access.)  Of course, there was the air in the hallways, but even that had a slightly… unnatural feel to it.

Ordinarily, he should have been able to pull even on these resources, but the natural energy here seemed so _weak_.  Practice had brought Naruto to the point where he could activate Sage Mode relatively easily and manage to maintain it for some time.  But the natural energy here felt so faint and elusive, it was difficult enough to sense, let alone manipulate.  It was as if chakra had suddenly dried up everywhere.

Not that seemed too unusual, in wherever-this-was.  He could sense thousands of things moving in the base, but none of them had any kind of chakra signature.  In the entire area, he could only feel three people with any significant chakra.

It bothered him that there were only three.  It bothered him even more that he really didn’t know who the last one was.  Shikamaru’s dark chakra was easy to identify, and Tenten’s slightly undeveloped coils stood out fairly well also, but the last… seemed so unfamiliar.  It had plenty of chakra, but it behaved in a strange manner and seemed almost diseased.

Naruto tallied up what he knew, and he didn’t like it.  One, they were in a land with little chakra.  That meant that Sage Mode would be that much more difficult to attain.  Two, several of his friends were being captive.  That meant that he had completely lost the others.  Third, a strange nin was also being kept here, and apparently had had something happen to their chakra.  THAT might mean that these people did chakra experiments.

In fact, the only bright spot that he could find came from the guards’ apparent lack of chakra.  If they only had mercenaries to contend with, escape should be significantly easier. 

At least, if he could manage to get free in the first place.  Gritting his teeth, Naruto closed his eyes and reached deeper, deeper into the flow of energy, trying to expand his range.

 

* * *

 

 

 There was no point in getting angry, Cyborg reminded himself.  No point whatsoever.  With his power cells nearly dead, the last thing he needed now was to waste whatever remained of them by some stupid attack on the door in front of him.  The best thing he could do now was sit still and wait for an opportunity.

                Except that was boring as shit.  And even if there wasn’t any point to getting angry, there wasn’t much point to just sitting there either.

                So he was doing the only thing he could do.  Thinking and cataloguing.

                _They locked us in these rooms.  Not the cells downstairs, just some spare rooms that they found.  And they didn’t lock it, they barricaded it up.  That means these guys have no idea of how to work things.  Fits with the swords they’re carrying._

 _So a bunch of Japanese teenagers, who know nothing about technology, just locked us in a bunch of spare rooms._ Something else occurred to Cyborg.  _They can’t be planning to visit us very often, if they went to the trouble of barricading everything up.  But then why let us live in the first place?  Do they need us for something?  Is that why they attacked?  And where did they come from?  They don’t know how to use the technology… maybe they’re time travelers?  But what time on earth would people be able to do stuff like what they do?_

                He shook his head.  _Too many questions.  Focus on what answers you have._

                _The guy with the big-ass sword is a water elemental.  Not too bad, if we weren’t absolutely SURROUNDED BY THE STUFF.   Water shorts out my system like nothin’ else, too._

 _Big kid seems like a shapeshifter but… there’s more to it than that.  Not just like Beast Boy, where he transforms into some strong monster or something.  This guy just… adds muscles wherever he wants them.  And he can turn his body into lasers or jetpacks or jet-powered fists._ Cyborg frowned.  _He’s was too flexible, too unpredictable.  And, I’ll bet, too unstable also._  

                But the last one, the one with the red eyes…

                _Let’s see… fights with a sword and with just as much kung-fu as Robin, has lightning-fast reflexes, hypnotizes, spews fireballs, generates electricity, and can somehow make things go boom.  Black flames boom._

                Suppressing a sigh, Cyborg leaned back.  _This ain’t going to be easy._

 

* * *

 

 

                “Found her by the docks, you say?”

                Lois rolled her eyes.  It irked her to be the one answering questions, and it irked her to still be at the docks hours after calling the ambulance.  For crying out loud, it was nearly morning already.  “Yes officer.  By the docks.  Went out to investigate the battle at Titan’s Tower, found her just sitting there by the water.  I’m pretty sure she got hurt in the fight.  Is there anything else?”

                “I suppose not.”  The policeman sighed as he folded up his notebook.  “You’re probably right, she mighta just got hit by a stray blast, but we’ll need to hold an investigation anyway.  Anyplace we can contact you if we need a statement?”

                “Lois Lane, Daily Planet, Metropolis.”

                THAT got the officer’s attention.  “You’re _that_ Lois Lane?  From Metropolis?  Superman’s girl?”

                “Uh-huh.”  Lois smirked.  Having a superhero boyfriend had some unexpected perks.

                The officer hastily tipped his cap.  “Thank you, ma’am.  That’ll be all, I guess, if we need anything more we’ll let you know.”  And quickly stepping into his car, he drove off.  Lois shook her head.  He’d probably be telling his buddies all day how he just met _the_ Lois Lane, Superman’s girl.  Well, let him.  It wouldn’t do her any harm, and it had given her the chance she wanted—the chance to run over to the ambulance and ask the paramedics a few questions. 

                As she came up, she heard a few words: “Multiple lacerations… blood loss extensive… third degree burns… need to stabilize…”

                “Excuse me?”  She interrupted, breaking into their conversation.  “Lois Lane, Daily Planet reporter.  I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?”

                “Lois Lane?  _The_ Lois Lane?”

                Having a superhero boyfriend could also occasionally be annoying.  Lois sighed again and was about to answer when another voice broke in.  “Are you the woman who found this girl?”

                Lois found herself staring at a rather heavyset, disgruntled-looking paramedic.  “Er… yes.”  She answered.  “I’m a reporter for…”

                “Would you mind coming with us to the hospital?” asked the woman, apparently unimpressed by Lois’ credentials.  “This girl is badly hurt, and the doctors may want to ask you a few questions.”

                Every so often, Lois reflected, things worked out perfectly.  She’d been prepared to virtually follow the ambulance and take the emergency room by storm, if for no other reason than to be there when this mystery patient woke up.  Even if the girl knew nothing about the Titans fight, she could at least make for a halfway-decent human interest story.  And if she was going to be out this late, Lois wanted at least ONE story to show for it.

                Being the reporter that she was, Lois did not miss a beat.  “Oh, I guess so.”  She pulled out her notepad.   “What kind of injuries does she have?”

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re sure it’s her?”

                “She’s kinda hard to miss, Bruce.”  The voice on the intercom had a tiny edge to it.  “Are you sure you wanna go in there to deal with her?”

                “I’m sure.”  Batman’s eyes narrowed.  “This is my city.  She needs to learn what that means.”

                Banking the Batwing in a wide turn, the Dark Knight studied the city as it swept under him, eyes raking back and forth across the buildings in search of the woman.  Finally he caught a flash of color atop the Gotham clock tower and shot the Batwing toward that.  She did not turn as he leapt from the craft to the roof, but simply remained staring over the city, her unmistakable hair waving in the breeze.

                “Princess.”  He growled.

                “Batman.”  She acknowledged without turning.  “I was wondering when you would get here.”

                “What’s this about?  I told Clark, no Leaguers.”

                “He told me.”  She turned to face him, and her steely blue eyes locked onto his.  “I decided to come anyway.  These intruders are dangerous, after all.”

                “Nothing I can’t handle.  This is my city, Diana.  I handle what goes on here.  No one else.”

                She sighed.  “Must you be so selfish, Bruce?”

                “Gotham belongs to me.”  Batman’s eyes narrowed.  “I don’t need interlopers jumping in and confusing the situation by offering whatever kind of ‘help’ they think the city needs.  If people are to fight in my city…”

                “…they must follow your rules.  I understand that, Bruce.”  Nodding, the Amazon took a step forward.  “But this ‘dimensional rupture’ thing isn’t just about Gotham, it’s about the world.  You said so yourself.”

                Batman glared at her but said nothing.

                She sighed.  “Look… I am a warrior.  I understand how rules work.  If I agree to work according to your… methods, will you let me help?  The sooner this matter is ended, the better.”

                There was a short moment of silence.  Finally Bruce heaved a grunting sigh.  “Fine.” 

                It was all Wonder Woman could do not to give a triumphant smirk.

 

* * *

 

 

                Juugo glanced up curiously as the door crashed open.  “What’re you down here for?”

                “Boss-man wants to see the red guy.”  Suigetsu growled.  “Needs to ask him some questions, I guess.  Sent me down to get him.”

                “Oh.  Okay.”  Heaving himself upwards, Juugo began to clear away the massive barricade blocking the door to the boy’s prison cell.  Suigetsu, apparently irritated at the delay, tapped the edge of his massive blade and fidgeted endlessly.

                “I just hope I get in on the fun.”  He suddenly muttered.

                Juugo stopped.  “Hm?”

                “The interrogation.  Sasuke better let me in on it.”  Suigetsu ran his tongue delicately over his serrated teeth.  “I’ve got a score to settle with that runt.”

                “Oh?  Why’s that?”

                “He knocked me out.  Not a fair fight really, he and that girl ganged up and used some kind of weird freezing jutsu on me.”

                Momentarily, Juugo wondered when Suigetsu had started caring about ‘fair’ fights, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

                “Plus, I wasn’t at my full strength, not after that fight we’d just had.  And the water was acting funny.”

                That was too strange to just let go.  “What?”

                “The water.  It was weird.”  Seeing the expression on Juugo’s face, Suigetsu sighed.  “I mean it wasn’t as easy to manipulate.  All sluggish and clumsy and… I couldn’t move half as fast or even form a decent _suiton_ blade.”

                “Hm.”  Juugo frowned.  “Why would that be?”

                “I dunno.   I told Sasuke about it, ‘cause he was mad at me for losing, and he actually said he noticed something similar.  Apparently his sharingan wasn’t predicting movements so clearly either.”  Leaning forward, Suigetsu added, “He has a theory about it, but he won’t tell me what it is.”

                Juugo considered it a moment, then shrugged and resumed his work.  It was no business of his what Sasuke did or did not tell his subordinates.

 

* * *

 

 

                Sai’s first sensation was that of a gentle nudging at the back of his brain—a brief interruption in his dreamless sleep, nothing more.  But before he slipped back into oblivion, a subconscious part of his mind recognized the nudge as something he had experienced in interrogation training.

                The second sensation he felt was of his soft, warm surroundings.  That might not have been so notable, if Sai’s bed were NOT generally so warm or soft, and if his last memory had not been in a very un-soft, un-warm place.  His subconscious became slightly more agitated.

                Gradually he became aware of sounds around him.  A steady beeping, some kind of whirring noise, the occasional clink of metal.  A rustling noise alerted him to the movement of others in the room, and he could hear them speaking, too.  The sounds were unintelligible, but Sai was relatively certain they were using some kind of code.

                A hospital.  He noted.  A foreign hospital.  A foreign hospital where he was being interrogated, as his subconscious reminded him.  The position was extremely compromising, to say the least, and definitely not ideal.  Sai momentarily thought back to identify the nudging he’d recognized earlier… Fu, one of his teachers had used it on him.  A Yamanaka technique.  How had a foreign village gained access to it?

                The whole time, Sai kept his eyes closed and his breathing controlled.  His heart had given just the tiniest jump when he’d awoken, but outside of that, he remained in a semblance of unconsciousness.  Best not to let his interrogators know he had awoken.

                Just to check, he carefully tested the movement of his hands, uttering a soft groan as he did so to feign a troubled sleep.  Just as he thought, both arms were restrained.  He didn’t bother to check his legs.

                The voices had stopped momentarily when he’d groaned, and there’d been some more rustling, but after a while the voices resumed and Sai was free to continue his musings.  Who would kidnap and imprison Konoha nins?  The ninja villages were allied now, no nation would risk an international incident by such an action.  Perhaps Sound?  But Sound was far too weak to take such an action, and they had been nowhere near Sound’s land.  Akatatsuki, then?  But Akatatsuki did not take prisoners.  The Yamanaka technique.  Perhaps it was a rival faction within Konoha, speaking in code to confuse him…

                _I know you’re awake_.

                The voice startled Sai, and his eyes flew open.  Three men in white costumes on the other side of the room, looked up at him and instantly hurried over, checking dials and babbling in their strange code.  But Sai paid them no heed.  He was looking for the voice.

                _They’re asking you to open your mouth_ , said the voice, with just a touch of amusement. _They want to take your temperature._

                Sai had located the voice now.  It was in his head.  Somehow, that did not make him feel any better about it, but nonetheless he obediently opened his mouth and allowed the strange men to look him over.  Concentrating, he tried to form the mental question _Who are you?_

                It seemed to work, for he got an answer.  _Ah.  My apologies.  I ought to introduce myself._

                Sai had seen a lot of strange things in his time in ROOT, but watching a green man float through a wall and down to the floor had not been one of them.    A long blue cape fluttered behind the man, and curiously deep-sunken orange eyes burned into Sai. 

The three white-clad men gave a little jump at the man’s entrance, but Sai merely blinked.  Promptly deciding he was in a genjutsu, he began to focus on stopping his flow of chakra.

                The man regarded him curiously a moment.  _You are attempting to do something.  What is it?_

                Sai paid no attention.

                _Oh, I see.  You believe yourself to be in an illusion._ The man gave an irritable wave at the medics and they nearly tumbled over themselves in their hurry to leave.  Then he turned his disturbing gaze back onto Sai.  _I suppose I have no way to convince you that you are NOT in an illusion._ He said.  _You will merely have to take my word for it, Sai._

                That made the former ROOT nin stop.  While his pseudonym Sai was fairly well known in Konoha, he had always prided himself on his relative anonymity in other countries.  A ninja was supposed to remain hidden and unseen, the less who knew his name, even his false name, the better.  So how had this stranger learned it?  Further support for the rival faction theory.

                _I’m talking to you in your head, and you’re wondering how I know your name?_   The voice once again seemed amused, though the face in front of him gave no hint of it.  _I learned your name from your friends._   He motioned to the side.

                Sai’s eyes flickered over to see Ino, Neji, and a Shino-shaped lump lying on beds beside him.  He returned his gaze to the green man.

                _They are well._   The voice assured him.  _They are merely resting.  The four of you were all badly injured when you arrived, it took a great deal of time for our medics to heal you._   The eyes studied him.  _You don’t believe me, I see; but I assure you it is the truth._

                It disturbed Sai that this man could tell what he was thinking so easily.  It made hiding his answers much more difficult.  He gestured to the cuffs binding him to the bed.

                The man looked uncomfortable.  _Ah.  Those.  Well, you will forgive us, but we knew—know—nothing about you or your friends, and we needed to be sure if you were dangerous or not._

                Sai frowned.  If a rival faction, they should know all about him, and if a foreign power… surely they could see by the headbands that they were Konoha nins, and…

                _Ah yes.  Konoha.  What—or where—is this ‘Konoha?’_

Stiffening, Sai decided simply to stop thinking.  Laying back, he closed his eyes and began a meditation technique, blocking out all thoughts.

                _Wait!  Don’t…_

                Sai paid the man no heed, delving deeper into meditation.  He sensed the nudging again, felt it diminish, and then gradually disappear.  Internally, he nodded in satisfaction.  He’d wait for another few moments, check to see if the man was gone, and then begin to work on the problem of where they were and what to do about it.

 

* * *

 

 

                Sighing, Shikamaru stared up at the ceiling.  While he didn’t particularly MIND being forced to do nothing at all for hours at a time, the lack of clouds on the ceiling was somewhat troublesome.    He could handle being chained to the bed, but if they were going to force him to look at the ceiling, couldn’t they make it a little less… white?

More troublesome yet, there wasn’t anything else in the room for him to watch, other than the guards, and the only interesting parts of them were the uniforms.  Shikamaru felt certain they’d dressed up the two most boring men in the facility and instructed them to stand in the most uninformative way possible, while making no responses whatsoever.  To anything. 

But most troublesome of all, Shikamaru knew he was staring an enormous puzzle in the face—namely, where they were—and had absolutely NOTHING to work with.  In fact, after twelve hours of staring at said cloud-less ceiling and glancing around said empty room, Shikamaru was starting to feel a trifle bored.

                He’d tried to stave it off.  He’d thought through nearly thirty different possible ways for them to end up in a room like this.  They were all either too inconclusive or too ridiculous.  Then he’d sent approximately forty different scenarios through his head, this time about what could happen in a room like this.  They had all been utterly too depressing.

                He’d figured the approximate location of the light sources.  He’d examined as much of the guards as he could see.  He’d examined the manacles holding him to the bed and concluded they were not made of any metal he’d seen before.  He’d counted the tiles on the ceiling.  (There were four-hundred and seventy-nine.)   He’d done everything he could think of, and now boredom was starting to set in.

                So, when a portion of the wall suddenly became transparent and a brilliantly bald man turned a rather predatory smile on him, it was almost more of a relief than a shock.

                “Good morning,” said the man.  “Sleep well?”

                Shikamaru shrugged.

                The man shoved his hands in his pockets and regarded him for a moment.  “I suppose you’re wondering where you are.  Your friend certainly didn’t seem to know, and he was the only conscious one of you when you arrived, so I imagine you don’t know either.”

                Another shrug.  Half of surviving interrogation was appearing compliant without actually giving your opponent anything to use.  Shikamaru had betrayed nothing (at least, he hoped not), but the man had already given him several important facts.  One, another one of his friends was being held here.  Two, the friend was male.  Three, apparently they were really, really lost.

                “Hm.”  The man did not appear pleased with Shikamaru’s apparent unconcern.  “In any case, you are in no position to ask.  You were, after all, trespassing on my territory, something I do not appreciate at the best of times.  I don’t suppose you’d care to explain how that came about?”

                Shikamaru didn’t even have to fake his shrug this time.  He didn’t even know where they were, how would he know how they got there?

                Annoyance becoming more visible, the man folded his arms and glared down at him.  “I’ll let that pass this once.  But I assure you, if you continue to act this way, things will get rather unpleasant.  Do I make myself clear?”

                For a moment, Shikamaru was tempted to shrug simply to piss the bald guy off, but he decided against it.  There was simply no point to enraging their captor.  So he nodded.

                “Good.”  The man appeared mollified.  “Now, I have a series of questions for you.  Who are you, what power do you have, and where are you from?”

                Shikamaru blinked.  He’d expected the first two questions, but not the last.  How could the man not know?   Shikamaru’s hite-ate was clearly tied on his arm; people the world over knew the symbol of the Hidden Leaf.

                They must be _really_ lost.

                In any case, if the man didn’t know what Konoha was, where was the harm? Shikamaru opened his mouth.  “Nara Shikamaru, of Konohagakure.  Fire Nation.”

                “Interesting,” said the man, but he was frowning.  “And what power do you have?  Anything similar to that red energy field your friend had?”

                Naruto must be the other captive, then.  That explained a lot.  Conceivably, if Naruto had gone Kyuubi, he could have run for a long time, even while carrying Shikamaru.  That would explain why they were so lost.

                Although… so lost the person wouldn’t understand what a chakra cloak was?  Or a bijuu?

                Distantly, Shikamaru noted a growing impatience on the man’s face.  Something had to be said.  Still trying to get a grip on his racing thoughts, he stalled for time.  “That depends.”  He said.  “What do you mean by ‘similar?’”

                “Similar in any way.  Your friend DID tell me you have a comparable power, but he was most inspecific as to how.  So it is your job to tell me how it compares.  How do you produce it?  Can it be replicated?”

                “Oh that.”  Shikamaru suppressed a snort.  His power?  Comparable to Naruto’s?  Naruto had obviously been in a tight spot when he thought that one up.  “Well, that’s not really something I enjoy sharing with others, you know.  What’s in it for me?”

                “I’ve already provided you with comfortable accommodations.” Shikamaru was about to take issue with the ‘comfortable’ aspect when the man continued.  “We could arrange to have them made significantly less comfortable if you prove uncooperative, but I’d prefer to avoid that.”

                Shikamaru had expected such a reply and had a ready answer.  “Yeah,” He agreed, weighing just the right amount of laziness before continuing: “But when you consider exactly how much power I have, that may not be such a good idea.”

                “Oh?”  The man lifted a skeptical eyebrow.  “Given that I was able to capture your friend at full strength, I think I would be able to deal with you.”

                “I really doubt my friend was at full power.  In any case, even if you know what he can do, you don’t know anything about my power.  How can you tell if you’d be able to match it?”

                A rather unnerving chuckle broke loose from the man.  “You’d be surprised how many ‘powerful people’ I’m able to handle, boy.”

                “Really.”  This was a dangerous game.  Time to offer a compromise.  “Well, I gotta say, I admire a man who takes risks,” he drawled, figuring a little flattery couldn’t hurt his position.  “I’ll tell you what.  I’m pretty sure I could break out of here, but it’d probably be more trouble than it’s worth.  So here’s the deal.  I’ll tell you what I know about my powers, and my buddy’s too.  But I want something in return.”

                The man snorted.  “As I pointed out before…”

                “Nothing big, mind you.”  Shikamaru interrupted.  “But if I’m gonna feed you information, I want a softer bed.  And some decent food.”

                The bald man paused and regarded him narrowly.  Then he laughed, loud and long.

                “You do have spunk, boy, I’ll give you that.”  He chuckled.  “I’ll see what I can do about that bed and food.  But first…” he gestured.  “Information.”

                “Sounds fair.”  Shikamaru prepared himself for the ultimate bluffing game.

 

* * *

 

 

                “How do you work this device?”

                It was a flat command, issued in a flat tone, and the teenager in front of Sasuke answered just as flatly.  “Figure it out yourself.”

                Sasuke grunted.  The line was not unexpected—indeed, he would have been surprised at anything less—but it was still annoying.  To be a proper master of the tower, Sasuke needed to know how to work the strange devices inside.  Some of them looked similar to Orochimaru’s equipment, but Sasuke’d never paid attention to them before.  He, Juugo, and Suigetsu had poked, prodded, opened, zapped, and stabbed the things, all with no result. 

And now, the one before him, the apparent leader, the one who had all the information they needed, obstinately refused to tell them anything.  The fact that such a leader was called something as ridiculous as “Robin” only intensified his annoyance.

                “That’s your line, is it?”  Suigetsu licked his lips and moved forward.  “Let’s see how you feel after…”

                “Leave off, Suigetsu.”  Sasuke stopped him with a word.  “It won’t work.  Not with this one.”

                “Yeah?”  Suigetsu didn’t move.  “What makes you so sure?”

                “I’ve looked into his eyes.  He’s not someone you’d be able to hurt.”  Meeting Robin’s steely gaze, Sasuke continued, “But I can.”

                Sasuke’s eyes flashed red.

 

* * *

 

 

                White.

It was blinding, all the light about her.  A dazzling whiteness that burst through her tightly-shut eyelids, and an all en-compassing whiteness that struck her from every side. The light nearly suffocated her with its presence, pressing down upon her like a heavy blanket.  It was strange, this light, almost like a thing alive.

                Suddenly she felt, rather than saw, two great eyes stare at her.  **Speak.**

The suffocating light shot into her, pushing itself through her every pore.  She felt as though she were being twisted, almost as if someone were pushing more life into her than her body could hold.  Her mouth burned.  Fire danced along her skin, and every nerve was alive…

Hinata shot upward in bed, gasping and clutching at her chest.  The tingles of the strange fire still shivered up and down her spine, and she had a faint sensation of unreality as she glanced about the room.

A hospital.  Why was she in a hospital… oh… oh.  The fight.  She remembered now.  Of course she was in a hospital.  Were the others here?  They must be, someone must have brought her here from the battle.  Had they won?  Or had they drawn back for her sake?  Had she failed them all again?  They weren’t supposed to… she remembered Shikamaru telling them to keep fighting regardless of who fell.  But maybe, she had… she had just…

Naruto-kun… had Naruto-kun found out?  Was he mad?  Or maybe… had he been the one who found her?  Perhaps even carried her back here?  Held her close and…

                Her stream of thoughts was interrupted by the creak of the door.  She glanced up, half-expecting to see Naruto.

But instead of the unmistakable blonde’s whisker-marked face, she found herself gazing at a placid-faced young lady with long dark hair.  The woman was clad in an elegantly simple coat and skirt, and was currently sizing Hinata up with a pair of clear, piercing eyes.

“You’re awake.”  She commented, in a lightly sardonic tone.  “That’s impressive, the doctor’s didn’t think you’d be out of it for a while.”

Hinata blinked at the woman.

“Suppose you’ve had some experience with injuries, in your line of work.  That was quite the set of scars you had, the doctors didn’t know what to make of them.”  The women pulled a chair up next to Hinata’s bed and looked at her curiously.  “Are you a new Titans member?”

Hinata’s confusion tormented her face.  “Um…” she whispered.  “I-I’m sorry, but… where am I?”

A wrinkle furrowed the lady’s brow.  “You’re in Jump City, kiddo.  Don’t you remember that?”

“N-no…”  Hinata shook her head slowly.  “Forgive me, but… what is Jump City?”

The wrinkle became more pronounced and the lady stood up.  “You don’t remember that either?”  She leaned forward and placed her hand on Hinata’s forehead.  “I wonder if…  What’s your name, kid?”

“Oh!  Forgive me.  My name is H-h-hyuuga Hinata.”  Hinata attempted to bow but found it difficult in the hospital bed.  “Pleased to meet you.”

“Well, she doesn’t seem to have amnesia, at least.”  The lady muttered, sitting back.  “I’m Lois Lane. Daily Planet.”  She added, as an afterthought.

Hinata attempted another bow.  “P-pleased to meet you, Lois-san.”

The woman looked bemused.  “Just Lois is fine.  Well then,” she said, picking up her pencil.  “We can talk about where you are later, maybe.  What about the fight?  Do you remember that?”

“Oh…  yes.”  Hinata nodded, shivering slightly.

“Great!”  The woman brightened, looking at her in an almost predatory fashion.  “Mind if I ask you a few questions about it?”

Confused, Hinata tried to puzzle things out.  Why was the woman asking?  Hadn’t Shikamaru or one of the others told her already?  Maybe… maybe had they all been killed, and she had been the only survivor…  But no, she was the weakest, if she was still alive the others must be. 

Had she been captured?  Was this woman questioning her?  She was obviously in a strange place.   But the lady was being too nice, and she wasn’t being held prisoner.   Plus, she was asking about the fight.  She hadn’t even asked about Konoha.  She couldn’t be interrogating Hinata.

Maybe… yes, she must be asking for a mission report!  They must be in one of the allied villages.  One of the other villages—this ‘Jump City’—must have found them and brought them to their hospital!  Obviously they would need to send a mission report to Konoha as soon as possible.

Nodding firmly, Hinata opened her mouth and began.  “Our mission was to locate and eliminate the Akatsuki member Uchiha Sasuke…”

 

* * *

 

 

Sakura groaned and blinked blearily as she sat up.    Perhaps Lee was right about the cardboard making things easier—it’d certainly made them cleaner—but at the moment it was hard to appreciate the difference.  Sleeping on sheet rock was not wholly unfamiliar to Sakura’s ninja career, but she still missed her bedroll.

                Sakura glanced around the room feeling something slightly… off.  Some small part of her subconscious nagged at her that there was something wrong with the light gleaming through the doorway past Chouji..

                Light.  Doorway.  Chouji.

                Groaning, Sakura staggered up to the Akimichi nin.  “I thought we were all going to take shifts.  Why didn’t you or Lee wake me for my turn?”

                “I never woke Lee.”  Chouji shrugged.  “Like I said last night, the two of you need rest a lot more than I do, and I was fine with staying up all night.”

                “The idea of shifts is that all members of the team rest adequately so they can all be at peak capacity in the morning.  You staying up all night kinda ruins the point.”  Sakura slumped to a seat next to him.

                “I’ve stayed up nights before.  And with all the eating I’ve been doing in that time, I’m about as close to peak capacity as I’m going to get.”  He glanced momentarily at the bag.  “Though this garbage doesn’t really seem to be doing it.” 

                He was right.  And Sakura, still sore from her sleep, felt almost inclined to be mad at him for being right, but sense and sheer gratitude won out in the end.  “I guess so.” 

There was a companionable silence for a few moments before she finally said, “Thanks Chouji.  For… keeping it together and everything.  I should be more on top of things than I am, it’s just… Neji being lost like that, it… it really…”

                “It’s a shock,” nodded the chubby teen.  “I get it.  I think we’re all a little blown over by it.”

                “You seem to be handling it all right.”  There was just a hint of accusation in Sakura’s voice.

                Chouji did not respond for a moment, he appeared to be thinking of something.  “It’s… different for me, I guess.  I mean, I don’t know Neji that well.  It’s not as bad.  At least…”  he added quickly, “…not anything like my dad, you understand.”

                Sakura didn’t.  “Your dad?”

                “Don’t you remember?”  Chouji glanced over at her.  “Oh… right.  You weren’t there.”  He heaved a breath.  Well… you remember, during the Pain invasion?  How… Kakashi-sama kinda died and then came back?”

                Sakura nodded slowly.  “I only heard about it afterwards, but… yeah.”

                “Yeah, well, my dad and I were there when it happened.”

                “Oh.”  Suddenly Sakura wished she were thirty thousand miles away.  “Is… that it then?  You’ve dealt with this kinda stuff before—people dying in battle—so it’s not so new to you?”

                “No… or well, yes, I guess, but not… not so much with Kakashi-sama.”  Chouji sighed.  “You see, he died helping me and my dad attack the one… gravity-Pain fighter.  He came up with the plan, even—Dad and I were supposed to charge at him from both sides as a distraction, and then Kakashi was going to pop up and put a chidori through him.  Almost worked, but another one of the Pains got in the way and blocked the blow long enough for the gravity one to send out a huge pulse.”

                Chouji heaved another big breath.  “So anyway… he knocked us all back, sent rubble just crashing down on top of us.  Kakashi-sama was trapped, I was badly knocked about, but Dad…” he swallowed.  “Dad…”

                Sakura stared at him.

                “I thought he was dead.”  Chouji finally managed.  “He’d shielded me from the majority of the blast, and he was just laying out there, all limp and senseless…  I had to drag him out myself, and I checked him over… I was sure he was dead.”

                Chouji looked down and swallowed a couple times before continuing.  “Kakashi-sama finally pulled me out of it…”

“He wasn’t dead?”

“Not yet…  He’d just been trapped.  He told me we needed to let Tsunade know about the gravity Pain’s weakness, and that I needed to go.  So I ran.  I didn’t think, I just ran.  One of the Pain bodies tried to stop me, but I think Kakashi-sama took care of that one before he died.  When I finally got to Tsunade, she was the one who finally told me that Dad… that Dad was okay.”  He shook his head.  “I just… broke down when I heard that… I thought he’d really…”  He swallowed and said nothing.

                For a moment neither one said anything, but simply sat there, staring out at the gradually lightening sky.  “I see.”  Sakura finally said.  “I guess… after something like that…”

                “After something like that,” Chouji shook his head, “Everything else is pretty much… nothing.”

                Sakura nodded.  “For what it’s worth,” she answered.  “I’m glad.  I don’t know where we’d be if you hadn’t kept things together last night.”

                “It’s okay.”  Chouji glanced over at her.  “Just don’t expect me to come up with anything.  So, what’re we gonna do today, fearless leader?”

                Sakura smiled in answer.  “First, we’d better wake up Lee.  Then, let’s get to work on figuring out where Neji and the others are.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Shino was aware of a vaguely uneasy feeling even before he fully awoke.  Doubtless, he considered, part of this was due to lingering emotional effects of his defeat at the Uchiha’s hands.  Perhaps also the emotions of his insect allies were transferring to him in some way, expressing their distress at the death of their compatriots.  In any case, he should do his best to locate and eliminate the source of this unease as expeditiously as possible. 

                In pursuit of this end, he opened his eyes, only to quickly snap them shut.  Someone had apparently removed his glasses, and the sudden onslaught of light had temporarily overloaded his sense.  Regrettable.  His sunglasses gave him a desirable edge in hiding his emotion, and he had noted more than once the detrimental psychological effect they had on his opponents.  Also, he would not be able to see well.

                If sight was (temporarily) denied him, he should resort to other methods.  Immediately he ordered his allies to examine the surroundings, but they nearly instantly returned with the distressing information that they were encased in an airtight suit of some kind.  The ease of breathing and overall coolness of the suit indicated that there was some kind of ventilation, but his allies could not discover it.  This, coupled with the fact that his hands were chained at the sides, indicated some kind of deliberate imprisonment.  He immediately set his bugs to eating away at the suit.

                By this time, Shino was able to open his eyes without pain and gazed through the clear panel of the suit to the room outside.  A cursory evaluation indicated that he was in a hospital of some kind—a logical position, given his last known condition.  However, a more detailed survey revealed several key features that made the likelihood of it being a Konoha hospital extremely low.

                Chief among those features were the three men currently clustered around his bed.  The one’s dark skin designated him as a member of the Lightning Country, the other looked more or less normal, but the third was... green.

                Shino had no experience with green ninjas, and rather unfortunately could not remember any aspect of his training that had covered them either.  Such a lack of information implied an unknown ability—possibly a hidden kekkai genkai of some kind. 

                “He’s awake!”  said the first man.  Something about his voice disconcerted Shino.    

The second man’s voice was equally disturbing.  “Heartbeat is normal, brain waves consistent...” there was a short pause, “…the bugs are… moving too…”

                “That’s… good.  Right?”

                “Yes, that is good,” said the green man.  “That is excellent.  Monitor their activity, however.  We do not yet know what they are capable of.”

                “Yes sir.”

                Suddenly Shino understood the source of his discomfiture.  The man should have replied ‘ _Hai_.’  Instead he had said, ‘ _yes sir_ ,’ an utterly meaningless combination of sounds that Shino had never heard before.

                So how had he understood it?   For that matter, how had he understood the rest of the unintelligible sounds they were saying?

                The green man spoke again.  “His condition is stable, you say?”

                “Yes sir.”

                ‘Very well.  Leave then.  I wish to speak with him alone.”

                The two others glanced at each other, then quickly gathered together a few items and retired.  Remaining behind, the green man spent a few moments collecting his thoughts, studying Shino intensely.  Shino, for his part, did his best to avoid the man’s gaze.  Certain genjutsus depended on eye contact.  Of course, the possibility existed that he was in a genjutsu already—that would explain the green man—but his insect allies gave him no indication of such a state.

                The man finally spoke.  “Your name is Aburame Shino, and you are from Konoha.”

                Shino merely inclined his head.  The man’s information implied a source, most likely a bingo book of some kind.  While Shino had not been aware of this, the knowledge that he had a Bingo Book profile was at once gratifying and disturbing.

                “I suppose I owe you some explanation for those,” said the man, indicating the cuffs which bound Shino to the bed.  “You will forgive us, but we have no way of knowing whether you are friends or enemies, and the fact that several of your friends attacked Batman makes your status somewhat… difficult to determine.”

                Shino consulted his memory for a nin named “Batman” but came up sorely lacking.  And while the man’s caution was understandable, his overall behavior seemed rather odd.  If the man knew they were from Konoha, how could he not know whether they were allies or enemies?  More to the point, why had he not dispatched a message to Konoha to demand a reason for their presence?

                “We are unsure of how to contact Konoha.”  The man interrupted his thoughts.  “And therefore are at a loss to explain your presence here.  I believe you were involved in a battle with a fugitive of some strength, correct?”

                Shino evaluated his options.  While he was clearly imprisoned by a presumably hostile village, the mission he and his friends had set out on was no secret.  And of the different intentions they could be suspected of, bounty hunting was definitely one of the more innocent.  So he chose to nod.

                “I see.”  The man nodded, apparently relieved at his cooperation.  “Who was this fugitive?  How many allies did he have?”

                This decision was easier to make, as all were internationally wanted criminals and had no allies outside of Akatsuki.  Shino opened his mouth and was surprised to find how easily the strange language flowed off his tongue.  “Uchiha Sasuke.  He was accompanied by his three subordinates.”

                 “And who is this Sasuke?” 

                Shino had not expected _that_ question.  How could the man not know of the last Uchiha?  He stared at the man, who inclined his head in apology.  “I fear we do not know much of the doings of your world here.”

                The data did not make sense.  The fact that the man knew Aburame Shino, a chunin-level nin,  implied a strong familiarity with not only the ninja world, but with Konoha in particular.  How could this man know his name, but not the Uchiha’s?  One might assume him to be lying, except that such a lie was so unbelievable as to be patently absurd.

                Given, though, that the information regarding Uchiha was common knowledge, Shino saw no reason to withhold it.  “Uchiha Sasuke is an S-class missing nin of Konoha.”  He responded.  “He is one of the few remaining members of Akatsuki and was declared an international criminal following his attack on the Kage summit and subsequent murder of the Hokage _pro tempore_.”  For a moment he wondered where the word “pro tempore” had come from, but brushed that aside as another inexplicable oddity.  “Why were we pursuing him?  Because certain elements decided that if outsiders were to kill Sasuke, it would result in an undesirable cycle of hostile relations between villages.  Therefore prudence dictated that we handle the matter ourselves.”  The last bit was NOT public knowledge, but Shino felt it important to emphasize the conciliatory nature of their mission.

                “You… intended to kill the fugitive then.”  The man was staring at him in an odd manner.

                “If necessary, that was the optimal solution, yes.”  Shino nodded, somewhat puzzled at the man’s question.  “Why were we intending to eliminate him?  Capture was determined neither practicable nor important due to the great skill of the target and the kill-on-sight warrant issued on him.  If elimination proved impossible, secondary objectives were to maim or incapacitate the target, preferably through irreparable damage to his eyes.  The elimination of his subordinates was also desirable, though not necessary, to the fulfillment of the mission.  We…”

                He stopped.  The green man’s gaze had become truly disturbed, and his mouth was slightly open in what Shino could only judge to be surprise.   “I see.”  The man finally managed.  “Kindly excuse me while I relay this information to my comrades.”

 

* * *

 

 

She had been lying in the bed for about three hours now.  During that time, no one new had entered the room, no one had spoken to her, and no one had done anything of the remotest interest.  Fortunately, they _had_ left her bed in the upright position, so she was able to survey her room and the two men standing by the door, but outside of that Tenten had nothing to do.

                Unlike Shikamaru, Tenten _hated_ having nothing to do.  For as long as she could remember, she had never been content with sitting still.  She had always wanted to go higher, farther, larger than anyone else ever had.  It’d stood her in good stead as a kunoichi.  Among other things, working on a team with a revenge-driven genius and an enthusiasm-driven psycho nearly demanded it.  But more than that, she’d always admired her teammates (and her sensei, despite everything) for the things they shared—an unflinching quest for self-improvement. 

That’s why she had selected the Sannin Tsunade as her model.  As the ultimate kunoichi in the ninja world, there was no one better for Tenten to aspire towards.  Gai and Lee might choose to motivate themselves by choosing formidable rivals, Tenten motivated herself by choosing a formidable model. 

Would Lady Tsunade have gotten beaten by a pitiful water swordsman, been captured somehow, and ended up strapped to a white table in a purely white room?  Tenten greatly doubted it.  And certainly, if she had been, she wouldn’t spend it doing nothing.  If Lady Tsunade were in her position…

Well, okay, if Lady Tsunade were in her position she would break the cuffs off like clay, punch her way through the wall, summon a few dozen slugs or so, and then proceed to destroy the entire complex.

But Tenten could do none of those things.  So she focused on what she was good at.  Weapons.

For starters, there was the bed, which was apparently able to conduct Raiton energy.  She’d found this out the hard way when the bald man had shown up and she’d refused to answer any of his questions.  That had… hurt.  But she’d kept her silence, and she was proud of that.  A good shinobi was never to reveal information, no matter how trivial.  She just hoped she could keep it up.

The bed, unfortunately, would make a poor weapon, as Tenten was fairly certain it was mounted to the ground.  There was no way to employ its Raiton-conducting energies as a weapon.  Perhaps if she had been a lightning type… but no, no sense dwelling on that.

The cuffs that bound her to the bed, while not strictly weapons, were mechanical, and could be employed as brass knuckles in a pinch.  Tenten’s taijutsu was average, she might be able to handle the guards at the door. 

Those same guards, though, were the chief objects of her attention.  They had come in shortly after the bald man had left, and were standing there, muttering back and forth in some weird jargon.  Both, though, carried some odd devices that they clearly considered weapons, and Tenten had spent the last half-hour trying to figure them out.

They must be projectile weapons, that was clear.  There were no sharp edges and the handle didn’t make it easy to swing.  Plus, the overall form, especially the “trigger” on the handle, was reminiscent of a crossbow.  What puzzled Tenten, however, was that there was no room for an arrow to fit, or indeed of any kind of projectile.  Nor, for that matter, did the men seem to be carrying any kind of additional ammunition for the weapons.

Perhaps ammunition was supplied through summoning scrolls?  But what kind of ammunition would even work in a weapon like that?

Tenten decided to try an experiment.

Taking a deep breath, she lunged as far forward as the cuffs would allow her and let loose a stream of invectives at the guards.  As she expected, the guards glanced at her, gestured, and returned to their discussion.  Undeterred, she continued to shout at them, thrashing about in her cuffs a little for good effect.  She didn’t expect they could understand her—she certainly couldn’t understand them—but she did her best to make the import of her words very clear.  Working up a sizeable wad of spit, she shot it at the nearest guard.

Tenten hadn’t been a weapon’s specialist for five years for nothing.  The spittle hit the man full in the face and he sputtered.  With a yell, he turned to face her, waving his weapon.

It was all Tenten could do not to grin.  From the way he handled it, it was obvious that the projectiles came from the tube-like protrusion at the front of the device.  Shaking the observation from her mind, she continued to rant and scream, drawing on more and more insulting terms.

The man continued to advance on her, shouting back.  Unsurprisingly, Tenten could not understand him either, but again, the essence was clear.  He pointed the tube-like protrusion directly at her face, still shouting.  The other guard was next to him now, shouting at him and attempting to drag the weapon away.

Tenten felt a touch nervous.  The fact that the bald man had left her alive meant that the men would not be allowed to kill her.  She had gambled on that fact and the hope that these men would obey their orders.  But these men seemed poorly disciplined…

Suddenly she noticed the man beginning to lower his weapon.  That couldn’t happen!  Again, hastily, she spat.

Her aim was not quite so good this time and it caught the man on the front of his jacket, but it was enough to reawaken his anger.  Again he raised his weapon and began to shout.  The other shouted something intelligible at him and he froze momentarily.  With baited breath, Tenten watched the two of them.

Finally, with a scream of frustration, the man jerked his weapon away and pulled the trigger.

                Faster than Tenten’s eyes could follow, light burst from the front of the tube and shot toward the opposite wall.  It exploded against the whiteness, leaving a sizeable hole and an impressively large burnt area.

                Tenten’s eyes grew large and darted back and forth from the hole to the weapon.

                She HAD to get one of those.

 

* * *

 

 

                The Mangekyo Sharingan was not a well-understood kekkai genkai, due in part to its incredible rarity.  Thus, little was known about its jutsus and their precise inner workings.  Tsukuyomi, for example, while a genjutsu-like jutsu, clearly had several features far beyond the extent of normal genjutsus.

                Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan had recently gained a new ability, of his own design.  It was able to seek out and replay various memories within the victim’s mind.  It was incredibly draining of chakra, so Sasuke didn’t use it often, but in this case he felt he would need it.

                Sifting through painful memories in the blink of an eye, Sasuke found one he felt would suit admirably.  Immediately he began to replay it.

                “You are trapped in a Tsukuyomi.”  He informed the obviously disoriented boy.  “It is a state in which I control space and time.”

                Robin did not reply, merely looking about.  “A circus, eh?” 

                Sasuke was not sure what a ‘circus’ was, so he simply nodded.  

The boy was glancing around at everything in their surroundings.  His eye caught the figures on the trapeze.  “You idiot.  You’re going to make me relive my parent’s murder?”

                “For the next three days,” Sasuke responded, “we will continue to replay these events.”  They suddenly whipped forward and now they were floating in air, just across from the figures whirling on the trapeze.  “This entire process shall take no more than a second in the real world, but I assure you it will be a very real 3 days for you.”

                The two watched silently as the two figures went flying through the air.  They watched as something went horribly wrong with the trapeze.  They watched the man and woman fall and smash against the sand of the circus.  They watched the crowds, the police, the sobbing boy…

                The image froze, shifted apart, and reconstituted.  Again they stood in the circus.  Again they watched two figures go flying through the air.  The trapeze went wrong.  The man and woman fell, smashing to pieces.  Crowds, the police, the sobbing boy…

                After about one day’s worth of repetitions, Sasuke began to feel a trifle annoyed. The boy showed no signs of distress, and was simply watching the murderous cycle with a steady, even gaze.  He wasn’t supposed to be taking it this well. 

Then again, the genjutsu didn’t seem as vivid as usual either.  Sasuke intensified the scene, but the boy showed no reaction.

                Somewhere around the second day, Sasuke finally broke the silence.  “Did you kill him?”

                The boy blinked, momentarily distracted.  “What?”

                “The man who killed your parents.”  The scene shifted, returned to the quiet circus and the two figures swinging on the trapeze.  “Did you kill him?”

                Robin eyed him.  “Why do you ask?”  Sasuke said nothing.  Robin’s eyes narrowed momentarily, then, apparently giving it up, he shrugged.  “No.”

                “Why not.”  Sasuke’s voice was hard and cold.

                “That’s not how we work.”  Robin replied, just as coldly.  “We don’t just beat up whoever we don’t like, and we don’t allow personal vendettas to interfere with what we do.  Plus, we don’t kill people.”

                Sasuke sneered.  “Tch.”

                “I take it you killed the man who killed yours.”  Robin noted.  Sasuke glanced at him sharply and Robin snorted.  “I’ve had a lot of practice at reading stone faces like yours.  Plus, that question of yours kinda gave it away.”

                Feeling strangely annoyed, Sasuke turned back  and intensified the image, zooming in on the parent’s faces, slowing down the moment they hit the floor.  Swords were added to the ground to skewer the couple as they landed.

                “It never gets any better, does it?”

                Sasuke ignored the boy’s remark.

                “People will tell you the pain goes away, that you’ll find a new life, that someday you’ll forget all this.”  Robin swept his hand to indicate the scene, apparently oblivious to his mother’s cracking neck.  “But it never does.  Others will tell you that once you kill those responsible, then you’ll feel complete, then you’ll be able to live with yourself.”  He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke.  “But that doesn’t help either, does it?”

                “Do you always talk this much?” responded Sasuke, feeling another flicker of irritation.

                The other let out a little smile as the scene reset itself to the circus with the three acrobats performing above.  “Only if I have a reason to.  Witty banter distracts the opponent, often causes him to underestimate his foe.”

                Momentarily Sasuke wondered if Naruto had acted under similar motives, but swiftly dismissed the idea.  Naruto was—or had been—a blockhead.  The fact that he had acted in a manner similar to this obviously effective warrior was a mere coincidence.

                “Besides, I spent years training under a humorless grouch, and _someone_ had to keep up the conversation,” continued the teenager.  “In this particular case, I can see that my talking annoys you, so I have all the reason in the world to continue talking.”

                Sasuke immediately attempted to squash the annoyed feeling, but failed miserably.  He intensified the image again.

 

* * *

 

 

                “….and I guess I must have eventually passed out.”  The strange girl finished, toying with her fingers.  “I don’t know what happened after that.  You’d have to ask Shikamaru or one of the others.”

                Lois clicked her pen shut, leant back, and stared at the notepad before her.  Since about halfway through the narrative (when she’d realized the girl was definitely NOT talking about the Titan’s battle), she’d been transcribing the girl’s account almost mechanically, suspending her disbelief until she’d finished.

                Well, she had finished.  And Lois couldn’t suspend her disbelief any longer.  According to this girl, she’d been on an assassination mission with eleven other undocumented meta-humans.  A mission, moreover, that was nowhere near Jump City or any place that Lois could identify.

                Casting a look at the nervous girl on the bed, Lois considered things.  The teenager remembered her name—or what she thought was her name—and had an entire story, so she didn’t have amnesia.  Was she possibly delusional?  She mentioned trying to get up time and time again, and being repeatedly hit… perhaps that was a distorted memory of some incident that’d left her like this.  That was the most plausible explanation for her ridiculous story.

                Yet Lois knew as few others did how often the ridiculous turned out to be accurate.  And the girl didn’t seem to be crazy, or lying for that matter.  Could she possibly be telling the truth?

                Only one way to find out.  “What color underwear am I wearing?”

                The girl’s face turned bright red.  “Wh—what?”

                 “You said those eyes of yours can help you look through everything, right?  So what color underwear am I wearing?”

                “Ummm…. Um…”  the girl toyed furiously with her fingers.  “Wh—why do you ask?”

                “I need to tell if you’re being honest, kiddo.”  Lois snapped her fingers.  “C’mon.  Out with it already.”

                The girl swallowed, then brought her fingers up in a curious sign.  “ _Byakugan_!”

                Lois started backwards as veins suddenly bulged on the side of the girl’s head, making her pale eyes suddenly gain a new intensity.   They seemed to glow with an inward fire, and Lois simply knew, looking at them, that they could see literally _everything_. 

For all of three seconds the girl remained like that.  Finally the veins around her eyes relaxed, returning to normal, and the girl turned away, blushing.  “ummm… pink.”

                “Correct.”  Lois answered distractedly.  Her mind was racing.  She had a new meta on her hands here, with possible links to 11 others, and a strange connection to some paramilitary organization termed “Konoha.”

                If _that_ wasn’t a story, she didn’t know what was.

                “Well then.”  She stood briskly to her feet.  “I’ll tell you what.  You seem pretty fine to me, so I’ll go and talk to the nurses and see if I can’t get you of here.  Then we can maybe go on to my place and we can start looking for these friends of yours.”

                The girl started again.  “Wh-what?”

                “Oh, it won’t be any trouble at all.”  She waved the girl’s concern aside.  “Be like old times, having a roommate and all.”  As she flew out the door, Lois just barely suppressed a grin of anticipation. 

                She was going to milk this story for everything it was worth.

 

* * *

 

 

                Another loose thread.  Question felt his irritation rising.  There must be a connection, he knew there HAD to be.  So why couldn’t he find it?

                So far, he’d been through everything his prisoner owned and wore (ignoring the teen’s loud protests).  But none of it had turned up anything. 

Neither the coat nor shirt nor pants seemed to be from any known manufacturer.  The weapons in the pouch, while clearly dangerous, could not be traced to any kind of munitions dealer, and moreover seemed to be rather archaic for an Illuminati operative.  (Some of the knives had little tags hanging from them, covered in strange markings.  Question had no idea what they were, but the boy had gone pale when he’d fingered one).  Also, he found numerous hairs coating the coat… hairs that seemed to be from a dog, but matched no known records.

It was impossible that so many different clues would leave NO hints.  Somewhere, there had a connection. There always was. He just had to keep digging. 

 “Tell me.  Where are your comrades?”

The teen went stiff.  “Comrades?”

“Don’t play games with me.  You went down far too easily, either for a Dragon’s Fang operative or a soldier of this ‘Konoha.’  You must have been in a support role, accustomed to working with others.”  Question frowned.  “Unless, of course, your ineptitude is a result of missing this dog ally of yours.”

“I can’t help you.  I’m not even sure if I have any comrades left, much less where they are.”

“Clever.  And why is that?”

The fanged boy hesitated, but finally admitted.   “We were in a battle and I got hit.  They could be dead by now for all I know.”

“I told you not to play games.  There were no signs of a battle where I found you.”

“Yeah, and I told you that’s ‘cause I’m in the wrong world,” returned the boy in a growl .  “The stars are all wrong here, something musta… I dunno… teleported me or something.”

Suddenly everything become clear.  “Teleportation…” Question muttered.  No wonder none of the boy’s belongings could be connected.  No wonder he seemed so oblivious.  No wonder his weapons were archaic.  “Of course… obvious, in retrospect.”  Question had been following the entirely wrong track.

“Tell me.”  He whirled on Kiba.  “What do you know about the Mayan underground?  Are they still hiding those alien relics?”

“Who the heck are Mayans, and what the heck are aliens?”

 

* * *

 

 

                “You were planning to kill this… missing nin.”

                The pale-eyed boy seemed irritated.  He gave a short nod.

                “Why?”

                “It was a mission,” came the response.  “Our team leader had determined he was a threat that could no longer be ignored.  Therefore, an assassination was in order.”

                Superman struggled to keep the distaste off his face.  “And what was your role in this ‘assassination?’”

                The boy clamped his mouth shut, clearly refusing to discuss that matter.

                “You do these assassinations a lot, kid?”  Green Lantern spoke up.  After J’onn’s conversation with the bug boy, they had determined that Lantern’s military expertise might be helpful in talking with the prisoners. 

                 “I am a jounin of my village,” stated the teenager.  “A fully capable shinobi.  I do many things.”

                “Including assassinations.”

                The boy gave another curt nod. 

                “How long have you been doing this?”

                 “I have only been a jounin for a year now.”

                “Do any assassinations before then?”

                The teenager blinked, apparently taken aback by the question.  “Of course.”

                “How many?”

                “I have participated in over twelve B-rank missions, seven of which directly involved assassinations.  Three others incorporated assassination as a crucial element, but not the primary objective.”

                “When did you perform your first assassination?”

                A shrug.  “I don’t remember.  A little before the first chunin exam… so when I was twelve, I suppose.” 

A strange choking sound came from Superman, and the boy glanced sharply over. 

John Stewart, Green Lantern and former US Marine, had seen a lot of things in his life, but this teenager was definitely one of the creepier specimens.  With pale eyes staring directly ahead, mouth set in a terse irritable line, the boy had recited every detail with the utmost placidity and coldness.  He refused to answer certain questions, and if pressed, simply remained silent.  John got the feeling that without the help of a certain Martian telepath in the next room, he and Clark wouldn’t even have gotten as far as they did. 

This teenager was no idealistic superhero, nor any angsty supervillain.  He was every inch the consummate professional soldier, and apparently had been so since his early years.  You couldn’t even compare him to the children fighting in Burma and Sudan, his manner was far too cool and efficient.

John’s thought was broken by a sudden question from said soldier.  “What village is this?”

“I’m sorry?”

“What village am I being imprisoned in?”  The boy repeated.  “I did not recognize it upon my arrival.  What do you mean by defying the ninja alliance, and what do you seek to gain by it?”

“Ninja… alliance?”  John repeated slowly.

“I suppose you are from Iwa.  I have never met your kind before, but your betrayal fits with what I have heard of Iwa’s policies.”  The teen sniffed.  “Tell me, do you mean to eliminate competitors?  Or does your Daimyo simply wish to increase his dominance over the other lands?”

Superman glanced in consternation at John, who simply sighed.  “Son, we’re not from this ‘Iwa’ place, okay?”

“No?  Then what nation do you serve?”

“We… don’t serve any nation.”  Superman replied, glancing back and forth between John and the boy.

“Ah.  You are mercenaries then.”

“No!”  John and Clark exploded almost simultaneously.

The boy stared at them, astounded by their outburst.  “Then… who do you work for?”

“We don’t work for anyone!”  Superman cried, incredibly flustered.  “We’re the Justice League!”

“So you are missing nins.”

Clark and John exchanged a look.  “Sure.”

“I see.”  The boy snorted.  “In that case, do what you wish.  I have nothing to say to scum like you.”

Superman blinked.  “Now wait a minute.  What makes you think we’re scum?”

 “Please.”  The teen sneered.  “You have no loyalty, no honor, and no clan.  What else could you be?  Without any allegiances or obligations, the only things you truly serve are yourselves.”  The boy spat with disturbing accuracy at Superman.  “Traitors.  You answer to no one.  You believe in nothing.”

“No, listen, when I said we weren’t working for anyone, I meant…” Superman gave it up.  “Just… forget it, okay?  It’s not like that.”

John decided they’d gotten as much as they were likely to.  “Let’s go, Supes,” he said, putting a hand on Clark’s shoulder.

“Hmph,” muttered the boy behind them.  “If you are honest, release us.  We have done nothing.”

“That’s more than we know.”  John returned as they walked out.

The teenager shrugged.  “Send a messenger to Konoha if you doubt our story.  Surely the winged lady could travel quickly enough.”

John froze.

 

* * *

 

 

Karin generally enjoyed hospitals.  After all, she was a scientist, nearly as at home in a hospital as she would be in a lab.  She had many happy memories of working in hospitals.

However, being _treated_ in (what she assumed was) a hospital was a new experience, and rather terrifying.  Due to her recuperative abilities, Karin had never really needed significant care in a hospital, and the few times she had, she hadn’t needed steel manacles holding her arms and legs to the bed. 

Karin knew exactly what kind of ‘patients’ necessitated such bedding conditions, and was agonizingly familiar with many of the innumerable procedures that could be done to such ‘patients.’   A lifetime spent under Orochimaru, working for Orochimaru, did not exactly make one comfortable with the idea of being chained to a bed.

So when the window above her became clear and the predatory grin of the bald man on the other side appeared, Karin screamed, “I’LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING IF YOU’LL JUST KILL ME PAINLESSLY!”

 

* * *

 

 

                Robin flinched slightly as the man and women smashed into the ground, but appeared otherwise unmoved.  “You know, it’s not like you’re the first person to try this trick.  Scarecrow, Headmaster, Dr. Destiny… I’ve had more people then you’d believe dig up this scene and show it to me.  And no offense, but compared to them?  You stink at this.”

                “Be quiet.”  Sasuke growled at the teenager, who was really starting to annoy him.  He’d intensified the image several times now, to the point where the couple now screamed their whole fall down to smash right in front of them.  The earth suddenly twisted into a sea of swords which hacked their bodies to pieces.  Through all of this, though, Robin had continued speaking, and Sasuke was starting to wish the teenager would just shut up.

                He didn’t.  “I’ll bet I can guess why, too.  This sort of thing is too close to you.  You understand it too well to go all the way.”

                Sasuke did not respond.

                After studying him for a moment, Robin turned back.  “So.  Let me guess.  Your parents died when you were young, and now you’ve got a vengeance complex built up.  I understand that, believe me.”  Robin’s face wrinkled a little more sharply as the acrobatic duos plunged into the swords again.  “In your case, though, I’m guessing you’ve got some ego-centric issues—that you’re somehow ‘different’ than anyone else because of this experience and that means you  can just do whatever.”

                “You know nothing.”  Sasuke hissed.  “You know _nothing_ of the pain I have endured, you cannot conceive…”

                “Tch.  I know what it’s like to lose your parents.  I know what it is to lead a life in the shadows, trained by a man who barely knows how to live himself.  I know what it is to sacrifice any chance at a normal life for the protection of others, which I get the feeling is something you DON’T know.”  

                “Oh?  And what about losing your entire clan?  Do you know what that is like?”  Sasuke clutched his fists at his sides.  How could this boy be so annoying!  This was his world!  HE was supposed to be in control. 

“No.”  Robin shrugged.  “Do you know what it’s like to lose your entire planet?  Your entire species?  Neither do I, but I know plenty who have, and none of them are as big a loser as _you_ are.”  Robin laughed.  “So you’ve lost a lot.  But have you ever sacrificed something?  Or do you just think you deserve everything outright?   Cause seriously?  That’s like a little baby whining for toys he can’t have.”

“You…!”  Sasuke whirled on the mental image of Robin.  His eyes flashed and suddenly Robin was pierced thirty times over with swords that shot from the ground, turning a bloody mess of arms and legs hanging before a raving Sasuke.  “My pain is greater than you can possibly imagine!  How could you…”

                A scream broke him off and he looked up to see the falling forms of the acrobats.  They flashed toward him, rushing at the ground which was already turning into daggers, and as they fell Sasuke looked up at the woman’s face.

                It was the face of his mother.

                With an inarticulate scream, Sasuke whipped himself away, into the Titan’s tower room.  He recoiled from Robin and smashed into the computer.  Pale and shaking, he regarded Robin, who also looked very white and strained, but still defiant. 

                 “That’s a new one, boss.”  Suigetsu eyed them strangely. 

                Ignoring his underling, Sasuke got to his feet as calmly as possible, trying to force strength into his legs.  Once he was finally on his feet, he turned away from the prisoner to face the window.  “Take him away,” he said.  “There’s nothing more we can learn from this one.”

 

* * *

 

 

Back in the observation room, Lantern turned to J’onn.  “You sure these kids aren’t part of an invasion force?”

 “I found no indication of any hostile intent toward, or even knowledge of, this world prior to their incarceration,” nodded J’onn.   “Mr. Terrific, as you know, came to similar conclusions based on his physical assessment of their condition.”

Superman shuddered.  “But the things he’s saying…”

“That’s not the issue.”  Lantern shook his head.  “There’s nothing unusual about child soldiers, Clark.  It’s not pretty, but it happens.  When times get rough, sometimes even the kids fight.  This one just happens to be much more powerful and well-trained than your typical sixteen-year-old.”

Superman frowned but let the subject drop.  “Well if that’s not bothering you… what is?”

“The whole situation.  Okay, sometimes people fall through dimensional holes, but seven of them?  In coordinated attack groups, at different strategic locations?  These guys aren’t scientists, they’re not curious aliens, they’re soldiers.  Soldiers don’t just stumble into trans-dimensional warp-holes without knowing what they’re doing.”

“What _do_ soldiers do when they find trans-dimensional warp holes?”

John frowned.  “I don’t know… Radio to base?  Set up a perimeter?  Ignore it and move on?  They could do a lot of things, but they wouldn’t just decide to run through to see what it’s like.”

“On Stargate they build a base around it and send a robot ahead of them.”  Flash volunteered.

“But these kids fell from the sky, John.”  Superman argued.  “If they were attacking, I don’t think they’d choose a place where they were falling to their death.”

“Oh?  Who says they were falling to their death?”  John arched a dark eyebrow.  “Superman, we don’t even know all the things these guys can do yet.  That kid back there knew about Shayera on the upper deck, and she hasn’t even come into the room.  What makes you think those kids you saved couldn’t fly?  They might have been planning an attack.”

“And given that they have apparently have experience dealing with telepaths, they may be intentionally shielding their minds from me.”  J’onn nodded thoughtfully.  “Yes… I am inclined to doubt it, but it is entirely possible.  The dark boy certainly seems able to repulse me, and the girl… might be able to shield the others.”

                John arched an eyebrow, but did not comment.  “The whole thing just seems too damn fishy to me.  We don’t know anything for sure.  Even if their story about this ‘Uchiha Sasuke’ is correct, we may be getting a slightly biased view.”

                “That’s possible.  ‘Fugitive’ can mean any number of things, he could have been a freedom fighter for all we know.  These kids might not be the ‘good guys’ after all.  Talking to that kid in there…”  Superman shivered.

                “That guy?  He’s not so bad.”  John shook his head.  “He’s no hero, but so far as I can tell he’s guilty of nothing worse than following orders.  It’s just the nature of those orders that makes me nervous.”

                Rubbing his chin, J’onn considered things a moment.  “We can do nothing more than we are already.”  He finally decided.  “We have teams covering all the rift points and scouting the nearby areas.  Neither Question nor the Titans have responded yet, but outside of that, the most we can do is to update the League members and warn them to be cautious.”

 

 

* * *

 

                “You called to tell _me_ to be careful?”  Batman grunted into his communicator. 

                There was a trace of amusement in the response.  “As a way of letting you know that we’re passing on similar instructions to the rest of the team, yes.”

                “About time.  Heard anything from the other teams?”

                “Hawkgirl’s team has yet to find anything.  Flash and Supergirl have been through Metropolis several times, but they haven’t reported anything unusual.  Neither Question nor the Teen Titans have reported in, but we…”

                “Wait.”  Batman’s voice cut through J’onn’s methodical account.  “The Titan’s haven’t responded to your call?”

                 “No.”

                Batman frowned.  “Something’s wrong.”  He muttered, switching off the communicator.  

 

* * *

 

 

                Luthor examined the results on the sheet before him.  Overall, he felt rather pleased with the fruits of his rounds.  The blonde had told him some rather obvious lies and the brunette had been obstinately silent, but he’d get them to tell him the truth soon enough.  Information obtained through torture always had an element of unreliability to it, though.  Perhaps he’d try some other things first.  The lazy one, certainly, despite his gall, seemed like the type to listen to reason. 

                But the last…  Luthor smiled as he looked over that portion of the chart.  The last had been SO helpful.  A wealth of information, not only about her and her abilities, but also some VERY interesting data about where she—and, Luthor calculated, the others—came from.  She hadn’t said all she knew, he was sure, but that fear of hers would bring it out sooner or later.  In the meantime, the information she’d given him on the other inmates would be helpful. 

Still, Luthor felt the dregs of bitterness.  There was something wrong here.  A hole of some kind… a missing piece that kept everything from falling into place.  It had to do with their entry into this world, that much he knew, but the girl had been sadly—and honestly, he felt—unable to help him on that point.  So where was it?

                “Sir?”  An orderly appeared at his elbow.

                Luthor did not look up.  “Yes?”  he muttered distractedly, still picking through the reports.

                “Our sources in the League indicate that they’ve been on high alert since last night, after a classified transmission from Batman.”  The man adjusted his glasses.  “They have several parties combing the countryside.  One even swept by us, but fortunately…”

                “Last night?”  Luthor frowned.  “What time last night?”

                A slight pause.  “3:16 am, sir.”

                “I see.”  Musing, Luthor tapped the edge of the clipboard against his chin.  “They must know about this somehow.  But how?  We’ve kept them…” he narrowed his eyes.

                He turned to his assistant.  “Where are they looking?”

                “Metropolis, Jump City, Hub City, Gotham, according to our sources,” came the response.  “And here.”

                “Send teams to each of the cities.”  Luthor snapped.  “They’re not to draw attention from the metas, but to attempt to capture any Japanese-speaking teenagers with unusual powers.  Capture, not kill, understand?”

                The assistant nodded and was opening his mouth to reply when a dull boom shook the facility.  


	6. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The global confusion spills out into all-out conflict, leading to three disastrous showdowns.

                 “Could you please repeat that, Wonder Woman?”  Mr. Terrific’s voice was careful, polite.  “I could have sworn you just said Batman suddenly decided to leave Gotham and told you to keep searching without him.”

                Diana, from the bowels of her invisible plane, shrugged.  “Well, I suppose theoretically Batgirl is keeping an eye on me from the Cave, but essentially, yes, that’s what happened.”

                “But… this is Bats.  This is GOTHAM.  He barely lets anyone else in there, much less leave them in there without supervision.”

                “I don’t understand it either.  He seemed in an awful hurry about something.”

                “Really?”  There was a slight pause.  “He never contacted us about anything.”

                Diana grimaced.  “Of course he didn’t.  He said it was some ‘personal business.’”

 

* * *

 

 

                The black ship cut silently through the wind toward the island.  Batman edged it up, a little further into the clouds hanging low over the bay.  He was too visible in the day like this, and if his suspicions were correct (and they usually were), the last thing he wanted to do now was to attract attention. 

                Robin had done a decent job of handling the Titan computer bank, he had to admit, and the modifications made by that Cyborg boy hadn’t hurt either.  When the Titan’s Tower had first been constructed, it had taken Bruce nearly four hours to hack into the Titan database.  At the time, Alfred had asked him if it was really worth it.  Surely his former student could take care of himself, and surely there would never be a need to attack the Titans themselves.

                Bruce grimly wondered what the old man might think now.  The Trojan horse he’d left in their database was still active, and though some new safeguards kept him from going _everywhere_ he wanted to, he already could tell there was something very wrong at the Tower.  The defenses had been destroyed.  Security across the base had been disabled—Bruce had the feeling forcibly, as he could not find the security feeds.   The computers and communications were online, yet they had not responded to any messages. 

                And, now that he got closer, he could see another bad sign.  There was a large, gaping hole in the front of the building.

                The computer had located several police feeds that mentioned an undocumented battle at the Titan’s tower last night.  Putting that together with everything else, and taking into account that Jump City had been the location of one of the unaccounted rifts, it was not too hard to guess what had happened.

                _Damn that boy_ , Bruce growled as he banked the Batplane into a steep turn.  _Why couldn’t he have just stayed in Gotham?_   _No, he had to come here, to Jump City, and get this tangle team together just to prove a point.  And now he’d gone and gotten them all in a fine mess._

                Well, there was really only one thing to do.

                _I’d better get lower._   Batman decided.  _Enter the Tower from the waterways_.

 

* * *

 

 

                Naruto almost felt as if he really ought to be more careful throwing the guards around.  After all, they didn’t have the invulnerability he had, and it wasn’t particularly THEIR fault they were in the way of his getting to Shikamaru.

                Than another one of their weapons shot at him, and he promptly forgot the qualm.  Those blasts of light didn’t do any damage to him right now, but they kinda stung, and the way they exploded against the wall warned him that there was probably something dangerous about them.  With a burst of speed he closed the gap between them and sent the man flying with one well-placed punch.  He tore into the others, hurling hapless guards left and right, like just so many leaves before the wind of his strength.

                Naruto was headed for Shikamaru’s room.  Not only was the lazy genius the closest to Naruto’s current position, he also might be able to help in freeing the others, at least better than Tenten or the mystery ninja might. 

                If there hadn’t been so many guards in his way, he might have been there already.  Seriously, there were so MANY of them!  This bald guy must have had half the whole freaking Sound village in his base!   Naruto felt himself get pushed back a few feet as another bolt of light knocked him in the chest.  He shot forward, grabbed the man’s weapon and broke it in half.  Ducking beneath a fresh salvo from the man’s comrades, he swept his arm in a broad arc, knocking the lot of them as a group and sending them flying in various directions. 

He whirled around at a strange clanking noise to see a large metal cart coming swiftly down the hall at him.  Without stopping to wonder why a cart, of all things, would be attacking him, or what the shining metal tube on the front was for, Naruto leapt up, bouncing against the wall, the ceiling, the other wall, and the ceiling again, before coming down on the strange object.  A ball of chakra formed in his palm.

“ _Rasengan_!”  The cart blew apart in a mass of metal and fire.  A fresh hail of glowing bolts alerted him to a fresh troop of soldiers attacking from the other side, and he leapt at them.  He was nearly there now.  Just a little bit further…

And suddenly Naruto was hit by something very fast, very heavy, and very painful.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Wake up, kiddo, we’re here!”  Hinata found herself being shaken awake by Lois.  “Welcome to Metropolis!”

                Hinata glanced up and gasped.  She’d thought Jump City, with its enormous structures of glass and steel, had been impressive enough, but the monoliths towering over this skyline made the other city look like a toy village.  Light glinted off the sides of countless towers that loomed above Lois’ tiny car and the million others surrounding it.

                Chuckling at the girl’s obvious surprise, Lois half-turned to address her.  “Quite a place, isn’t it?”

                “Y-y-y-yes.”  Hinata agreed, her wonder only worsening her usual stutter.

                “Metropolis is one of the biggest cities in the world,” said Lois, returning her attention to the road.  “One of the greatest, too, if you ask me.  Everyday I’m not on call somewhere, I wake up and I thank my stars I live here instead of some dried-out backwater place in Kansas.”  She snorted for some reason.  “Clark… wonder how he stands it.”

                “Who’s Clark?”

                Lois glanced over at her disinterestedly.  “Him?  Co-worker of mine.  Sweet and all, but as dense as heck.”  She shook her head momentarily.  “Anyway, if there’s anything you want to do, Metropolis is the place to do it.  We’ve got everything here, libraries, museums,  amusement parks, airports, skyscrapers, rocket launch facilities…”  she chuckled momentarily.  “Citizens were peeved about that at first, but Lex managed to sneak it in somehow.”  She continued.   “Research labs, observatories, and, of course, the Metro Tower.”

                “Metro Tower?”

                “Yeah, you know, Metro Tower, where the Justice League…”  Lois stopped at the look on the girl’s face.  “You don’t know who the Justice League is either, do you?”  At the girl’s negative shake, she gave a little sigh.  “Well… I’ll explain later.  They’re heroes… kinda like our protectors, I guess, but…”  she trailed off.  “You’ll understand if you meet them.  Anyway, the only one that’s really important is Superman.”

                “Superman?”

                Lois laughed, but to Hinata it sounded a little… different than before.  Almost giddy.  “Ohhhhhh yeah.  Superman is THE Metropolis man.  Can’t miss him.  Big blue suit, bright red cape, bright red boots, bright red… well, you get the idea.”  Sighing, she stared out the window at the sky for a moment.  “Every so often you’ll see him streak across the sky and know that he’s watching out for you… us, I mean.”  She added hurriedly.  “He looks out for all of us.”

                Hinata wondered why the description seemed so familiar to her, and why she felt a close kinship with Lois.  “What’s he like?” She asked her.

                Her face alight with surprise, Lois glanced at her quickly, but took another moment before replying.  “Well… I already told you what he _looks_ like, but…” a dreamy smile took hold of her face.  “As for what he’s _like_ , well, that’s another story, you’re right.”

                Waiting, Hinata allowed herself a grin of her own.  She knew now what felt so familiar.  She recognized that look on Lois’ face.

                “He’s like… so unbelievable, you know?” mused her driver.  “He’s so completely out of this world, so amazingly powerful and yet… and yet… he’s just so _human_.  Heck, he’s more human than most humans, if that makes any sense.  He’s always nervous all the time—he told me once he had nightmares about his power going out of control and killing everyone—and he’s so desperate to help.  It’s like he’s got this need to… to save _everybody_ , if that’s even possible.”  She shook her head.  “All that power and he… he decides to use it to help us?  Just like that?  Without anything in return?”  She let out a long sigh.  “I tell you, kid, I’ve been following him for forever, and I still don’t understand why he’s so amazing.  But he is.  He is so incredibly, unbelievably amazing.”

                “I see.”  Hinata murmured.  And she did.  She really did.  Even if she didn’t know this ‘Superman,’ she completely recognized the person Lois was describing.  And she agreed with the reporter wholeheartedly, he was amazing.

                For a moment the two sat in companionable silence, before Lois finally broke the calm with a little chuckle.  “And just in case, little missy, don’t get any ideas about muscling in on him.  He’s _mine_.”

                “Hmm?” Questioned the girl, momentarily puzzled.  Then, suddenly understanding, her eyes grew wide and she nodded at the reporter, smiling.  “Of course, Lois-san.”

                Lois couldn’t resist.  She reached over and tousled the teenager’s hair.  “You’re alright, you know that, kid?”  She grinned.  “Now, let’s get you…”  Suddenly something caught her eye and she glanced upwards at the sky.  “What the heck?”

                “What?”  Hinata looked up too.

                She had just a fleeting glimpse of something shooting overhead before there was an incredible rumble and the city up ahead exploded into dust.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Most of the heroes in the Metro Tower had no warning.   The few who did had no time to prepare themselves before an enormous rumble shook the building, throwing half of them to the floor.  Klaxons began to sound and lights flashed.

Superman was beside the computer bank in an instant.  “What is it, J’onn?”

                “Looks like something just crashed into downtown Metropolis.”  Muttered the Martian, his eyes glued to one of the working monitors.  “Smashed right through the Daily Planet and several other buildings. ”

                “How bad was the explosion?”

                “There doesn’t seem to have been one.  The blast we felt must just have been the force of it hitting the ground.  There is now a rather sizeable crater in City Square.”

                “We need to help.”  Superman turned to the floor.  “Atom Smasher!  Blue Devil!  Stargirl!  Get downtown and contain the panic, now!  Clear the buildings and make sure everyone’s out of that area, but don’t go near the crater unless you have to!”  Nodding as he saw the assigned heroes speed for the door, he turned back to the Martian.  “Any idea what hit us?”

“Not yet… could be a meteorite, an alien vessel, a stray shot from… one moment.”  He tapped a few keys.  “Visual coming onscreen now.”  The two heroes were treated to a sight of dust settling over devastated area.  Pavement, street lamps, and buildings were all thrown up around a crater nearly a hundred feet in diameter.

Superman’s eyes narrowed.  “Increase magnification 25% on lower right-hand corner.”

The computer obligingly did so.  In the center of all the dust and smoke, a small orange figure could be seen getting to his feet.

Superman and J’onn stared at it for a moment.  “Okay, a meta then.”  Superman nodded.

“Apparently one that flies.”  J’onn noted helpfully.

“Or at least crashes.  Make sure the team knows, and get some others on standby.”  Superman frowned.  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

 

* * *

 

 

                _I’ve got a bad feeling about this._

                Suigetsu, having never really bothered with computers, wasn’t really sure what the beeping sound coming from the monitor was supposed to mean, but it didn’t sound friendly.  The fact that it was accompanied by a red flashing light didn’t make him feel any better about it.

                Of course, the fact that his boss was standing just behind him, frowning at him and asking HIM to tell him what it meant made it even worse.

                “Come on, Suigetsu.”  Sasuke grunted.  “What is it doing?  What’s that supposed to mean?”

                The swordsman offered the only thing he could think of.  “I’m… pretty sure it’s bad.”

                “Obviously.”

                “I don’t know… the last time I saw one of these things this was back when I was in the tube. “  He bit his finger.  “They did this sometimes…  usually just before something went wrong with some other tube and it exploded or froze or dried up or something.”  He shrugged.  “Maybe… the water around here is about to freeze?”

                Sasuke’s glare did not express agreement.   “Suigetsu…”

                “Look, I don’t know what it means, okay?  They didn’t have anything like this back at Orochimaru’s, at least not that I saw.”  He glanced over his shoulder.  “Juugo…?”  he asked hopefully.

                A blank look was his only response.  “I spent most of my time in a maximum security chamber surrounded by armed guards, and half of that time I was insane.  What makes you think I’d know anything about this?”

                “Right…”

                “Pathetic.”  Sasuke snorted.  “What am I supposed to do with two such worthless servants?”

                “Gomenasai, Sasuke-sama.”  Juugo murmured. 

Suigetsu did not submit so easily.  “Hey, you can’t tell what it means either.”  He argued.  “And you trained UNDER Orochimaru.  Didn’t he ever tell you anything about this stuff?”

Freezing Suigetsu with one glaring red eye, Sasuke sniffed. “Of course not.  I was training in jutsus, why would I have ever studied something as unimportant as computers?”

It occurred to Suigetsu that apparently the matter was no longer so unimportant, but he thought it best not to mention that while he was looking straight at the Sharingan.  Slowly, they all looked back at the screen, which was still flashing and still beeping.  For a moment they stood there in silence, studying it.

Suigetsu, unsurprisingly, spoke first.  “So… what do you figure it means?”

Fortunately, at that moment the light stopped flashing.  Unfortunately, so did every other light in the room.  The entire tower was plunged in complete darkness.

_I REALLY have a bad feeling about this._

 

* * *

 

 

                “Ohhhh…”  Naruto picked himself from the ground, ears ringing.  Sage mode or not, that had HURT.  He was pretty sure he’d smashed through half a mountain and part of several buildings just getting here, and he hadn’t hit the ground very softly either.  In fact, if he hadn’t worked so hard on perfecting Sage Mode, he seriously doubted he’d have survived it.

                Shoot, if he hadn’t perfected it, he kinda doubted he’d have survived the initial attack that’d sent him flying.  Naruto frowned, wiping the dirt of his face.  He still wasn’t exactly sure what had hit him.  One second he’d been smashing guards all over the place, the next he’d sensed an enormous source of chakra materializing right next to him, the next… he’d been flying through the air.

                Well, at least now he was outside.  Coughing, Naruto stood to his feet, blinking at the city around him.   So this was their village.  Impressive, to say the least.  Not even Amegakure had had buildings like these, so tall and shiny.  In the buildings and on the street, he could sense thousands of people around him.  All without chakra, unsurprisingly, but that didn’t mean they weren’t dangerous.  He wondered how far he’d flown from the dungeon area and how long it would take the Kage or whatever they had to send people after him.

                Suddenly, he stiffened, sensing a sudden rush of creatures toward his location.

                _I guess not very long_ , he thought grimly, shifting stance. 

 

* * *

 

 

                Maggie Sawyer knew she should find a new job.  She really did.  But how the heck are you supposed to do that when you have superpowered whatsits punting random kids into downtown Metropolis?  How do you just walk away from a police force that has to deal with inner-city earthquakes caused by super brawls?

                Answer:  you don’t.  You hang around until you’re a physical liability and then you try to find some way to sacrifice yourself in the line of duty.

                Which was what found Sawyer on the lip of a hundred-foot crater with about sixty other officers, all aiming their weapons at a rather angry-looking teenager at the bottom.  Looking at his face, Sawyer REALLY wished she could bring up the other forty men she’d brought with her, but they were busy enough evacuating the area.  The only thing that made her feel good about the situation at all was the knowledge that the Justice League must know about it, and were probably on their way also.

                Which meant they needed to at least hold the kid here until the big guns arrived.

                “Listen!”  she shouted down at him.  “We have you surrounded on all sides!”  Technically not true, they barely had enough to cover the one, but she thought it was worth a try.  “Lay down your…”  she hated this part, “…weapons, artifacts, magical devices, power rings, or any other augmentable accessories and stick your hands in the air!”

                The angry face switched to one of confusion.  “ _Nani_?”

                Great.  Just great.  Not only did they have a meta, they had a meta that couldn’t understand them.  Had this kid flown all the way from the Pacific?  Sawyer glanced up and down the line of troopers.  “You!”  she hissed, picking out an oriental-looking SWAT officer.  “You speak Japanese?”

                The man shook his head.  “I’m from Brooklyn, ma’am.”

                “Crap!  What about the rest of you?  Know any Japanese?”

                “Nope.”

                “Not really.”

                “Got bad grades in English.”

                “ _Que dice_?”

                “Shh, Pablo!”

                “My kid watches some TV shows…”

                “Okay, I get it!”  She hissed.  “Alright, so you don’t know Japanese.”   She touched her radio.  “Thompson, this is Sawyer.  We need a translator down at…” 

                A startled yelp interrupted her and she glanced up.  Several men of her men had whirled and were pointing their guns at a tall, blue skinned creature with cloven hoofs, a tail, horns, and a trident.  Just behind him, she could see an enormous man in a mask striding forward, while a girl hovered anxiously overhead, shouting various pacifying expressions at the gun-wielding officers.

                Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose.  She _really_ needed to find a new job.

 

* * *

 

 

                An irate shadow slipped through the darkened hallways of Titan’s Tower.  Batman was swiftly growing frustrated with the situation.  When he’d cut the power, he’d expected the Titans to come breaking out of their energy-fed cells and attack the intruders.

                He hadn’t planned on the teens being imprisoned in an entirely different location.  Now he had to wander over the entire base looking for them.

                It’d have to be some of the more heavily fortified rooms, he felt sure.  Nothing less could’ve kept them imprisoned for long.  Most likely, that meant the training facilities, built to withstand attacks from all four superheroes.

                He had one advantage, he supposed.  His virus had performed well, triggering the proximity air alert as a distraction for him to penetrate the underwater entrance.  That meant they would be busy searching for the outside threat, not for the inside one.  And even if they did, the virus would have disabled all internal sensors, so they would have no idea of his presence.

                Training room.  There.  And, if the massive amounts of equipment piled against it was any indication, that’s where the captive Titans were.

                Batman frowned at the pile blocking the door.  If it’d been a tri-coded biometrics lock, he could have simply hacked into it and opened the door.  If it had been a simple eight-pin titanium lock with several layers of redundancy, he could have easily picked it. 

                But it was a pile.  And no matter how many different ways you looked at it, there was only really one way to get past a pile without making a big noise.  With a disgruntled sigh, Batman set to work clearing it away.  

                Five minutes later, the door was clear.  On a hunch, Batman tried the door.  It was unlocked.

                _Figures._

                It did not improve his mood to find that his entrance went entirely unnoticed.  _Hasn’t Robin taught them anything?_   He wondered.  _I could kill them like this!  If I were their captors, this would be a prime time to attack me!_

                Two seconds later, he revised that. 

                A green bolt of energy lanced out of the darkness, striking him full in the chest and smashing him into the back wall.  Pushing past the pain, he rolled aside out of the way of another blast and tensed, ready to move again.

                “Stay back!” came a defiant, though quavering, voice.   “Do not approach friend Raven and I, or I shall be forced to begin the disintegration!”

                _The Tamaranian_.  “Starfire, correct?”  Finally catching sight of her crouched against the far wall, he lit a flare to reveal himself.

The girl’s eyes widened.  “B-batman!”  She whispered, face brightening.  “Oh this is most joyous!  I offer the apologies for my rash actions, but I did not…”

“It’s alright.”  He assured her, striding forward.  “Where’s Robin and the rest of them?”

“I do not know.” 

He suppressed a groan.  _Figures_.  “Fine.  What about your attackers?  How many in the tower?”

“There were three who attacked us.”  She replied quickly.  For some reason she didn’t seem to be able to get up, and remained crouched on the floor as he approached.   “One can be able to turn his body into water, another had the strength and could change his body shape, and the other…”  she frowned.  “I sorrow, but I don’t know.”

At the very least, she seemed capable of summing up situations, Batman noted approvingly.   And now that he was closer, he could see why she couldn’t move.  The whole left side of her was bruised and bloody, and from the stiff way she held herself up, he guessed that the damage was more than surface deep.  “Broken ribs?”  He questioned, kneeling.

She nodded.  “My right leg also.  The strong one was very fast.”

                “Hmm,” he nodded, working quickly with his first aid kit.  He could splint the leg with some bits from the debris outside, and perhaps work something out for the cracked rib, but the girl would definitely need medical attention quickly. 

The glint of metal caught his eye and he examined the mangled steel bindings on her wrists.  Apart from some rather odd symbols painted onto the surface, they seemed to be very ordinary—and hence inadequate—handcuffs.  “They tried to restrain you?”  He cocked an eyebrow at her.  “With these?”

Starfire nodded.

Snorting, Batman finished up.  These intruders couldn’t be very bright, if they had thought things like that would hold a Tamaranian.  “Can you walk now?”

“I can fly.”  She shrugged

  He’d forgotten that.  He moved over to the dark bundle in the corner.  Hunched in a small ball, the pale girl appeared to be completely unconscious.  “What’s wrong with her?”

He could almost hear the confusion in the other girl’s voice.  “I do not know!  Friend Raven was like that when I awoke in the room, and she will not respond to my entreaties.  It is most distressing!  Friend Cyborg said the third one had wounded her, but she does not seem injured!”

“No she doesn’t,” mused he, giving the girl a quick diagnosis.  There didn’t seem to be anything physically wrong with the girl.  Perhaps magic?  From what he knew of this girl, she should be fairly resilient to such things, but at the same time she might be especially vulnerable in certain areas also.  But… the visitors he had encountered had exhibited no magic-like powers.

With a frown, he shook his head clear of the problems, deciding to settle them later.  He opened the cuffs holding the girl—noting again the strange symbols—and threw her over his shoulder.  “We’re going down to the underwater entrance.”  He informed the Tamaranian.  “My sub is waiting down there.  I need you and her to stay put there until I return with the others.”

“But… but…”  the girl’s forehead furrowed in distress, “but I wish to help friends Robin, Cyborg and Beastboy also!”

“You’re in no condition to fight, and I need you to guard her.”  Batman replied evenly, indicating the comatose Raven.  Truthfully, he simply wanted the two girls out of his way.  Despite the impressive records of both, Batman preferred to work by himself, especially on a stealth infiltration like this one.  With hostages still in the building, it was best to avoid confronting any of the intruders.

Unfortunately, they ended up confronting one right at the underwater entrance.  A silver-haired one with a disturbingly large sword.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Naruto studied the group of soldiers on the hill.  They seemed to be conferring about something, probably the three people he had sensed approaching their location.  Carefully he focused on the group, trying to determine as much as he could about them.

                Suddenly he stiffened.  One of the three had chakra!  A lot of chakra! 

So far, Naruto had only met one sizeable source of chakra in this world, and he had no desire to meet it again.  Swiftly he turned and darted away from the team on the hill, straight for the gleaming towers on the other side. 

Behind him he heard a sharp exclamation and several loud pops.  Dust was kicked up around him and several things whizzed past his ear, but he kept running.  He sensed the other three, including the chakra source, shoot forward at him, and he leapt into the air at the building.  It was a little difficult to anchor his feet on the smooth metal (glass?) surface of the building, but he managed it and kept running.  To his surprise, the chakra source, along with the biggest of the three, stopped at the foot of the building.

To his greater surprise, the third jumped into the air and _flew_.  At him. 

Naruto had met a great many ninjas, but not many of them could fly.  Even less of them could move as quickly or as fast as the girl pursuing him.  To make matters worse, he could hear her babbling out the name of a new jutsu.

Thinking quickly, he turned and leapt at her.  “RASENGAN!”

 

* * *

 

 

                Shaking off the safety straps, Diana popped open her aircraft’s canopy and climbed out.  She loved her plane, she really did, and its invisibility made it a wonderful tool for stealth and recon, but after combing the city three times without result, Diana was tired of it. 

Diana was, first and foremost, a warrior.  A princess also, an immortal, a creature blessed by the gods, but foremost, she was a warrior. And warriors, at least Amazonian ones, did not hide.  They met and faced their foes head-on.  In her time of exile from Themyscira, Diana had learned to modify this view somewhat, but she still preferred open and honorable combat.

Batman did not, she knew.  And as she was in Batman’s city, she had felt it only right to follow his path and do things quietly.

But that wasn’t working.  Try though she might, she could not find the three teenagers Batman had described.  Wherever they were, they were staying low.  Doubtless she could outwait them, but as she’d told Batman, time was of the essence here.  They needed to find the dimensional visitors soon.  And—she felt a shamefaced smile tug at her lips—a small part of her wanted to find and defeat them before Batman returned from his “private business.”   If she could do that, it would be an infallible proof that she could help him in his quest to save Gotham.

So Wonder Woman, immortal princess of the Amazons, stepped from her plane and flew off into the Gotham skies.

If she could not find the prey, she would draw it out.

 

* * *

 

 

Suigetsu grinned as he regarded the strange trio.  Though he wasn’t sure who the man in the dark cape was, he didn’t look particularly threatening, and the blue-cloaked girl over his shoulder was completely unconscious.  The only real threat was the orange girl in purple, and he’d fought her before.  This should be easy.

                Finding them had been surprisingly simple.  After the lights went out, Sasuke had ordered him into the water so he could defend against any attacks.  He had sensed the strange vessel almost immediately, but by the time he’d tracked it to the underwater cave, there was no one to be found.  Unwilling to leave such an obvious clue, he’d hung around in the shadows until the owner returned. 

Patience had paid off, the owner was here, and the two girl prisoners with him.  “Thought you were getting out this way, did you?” he taunted.

The dark man regarded him impassively.  “You have one chance to surrender.” 

“Huh?”  Suigetsu cocked an incredulous eyebrow.  “No, I’m pretty sure you got that the wrong way around there.  YOU have one chance to surrender.  And actually…” he grinned.   “…I don’t even think I’m gonna give you that.”

He dashed forward, but before he could blink, the man had leapt away and tossed his unconscious cargo to the orange girl.  “Get out of here and head for the clock tower!”  He ordered.

“But…!”

“Keep out of this!” he warned, shooting her a glance.  Hesitating only momentarily, she gathered her friend’s body in her arms and flew for the underwater exit.

“Hey!”  Suigetsu’s eyes widened.  Sasuke’d kill him if they got away!  Quickly he dashed back toward the water.  The dark man blocked his path, but he turned into water and went straight through him, diving into the pool on the other side.  The orange shape of the girl was growing distant in the water already, but for an elemental like him, that should be no…

Coldness shot through him and he found himself locked in place, unable to pursue.  Glancing back, he saw why.  His legs, and the entire section of water surrounding them, were frozen in one huge block of ice.  Just above, he could see a large, dark shape descending.

Seriously?  This guy could do that too?

He had no more time than that to get angry, for the next second the man was smashing into the ice, and Suigetsu was experiencing something vaguely like having his legs snapped off at the knee.  It was only an annoyance—he swiftly made a new pair out of water—but it hurt.

“Darn you.”  He snarled, coming up out of the water.  “You’re gonna pay for that.”

The man snorted and threw one of his strange boomerang things into the rafters above the pool.  Suigetsu glanced up at it, puzzled, then his eyes widened with sudden comprehending.

A long cable, crackling with Raiton energy, fell into the pool.

 

* * *

 

 

Wonder Woman sighed as she scanned the streets below.  Though she hadn’t yet drawn out her quarry, she had, apparently drawn thousands of onlookers.  She could see crowds gathering everywhere, pointing up in the sky, even faintly cheering.

                She wondered if it would bother Bruce.  After all, public grandstanding was very much out of his line.  With all the fuss he made about operating by his rules in Gotham, perhaps he wouldn’t approve of her flying around like this and attracting attention.  It might fall under the category of “unsuitable help.”

                And yet… she couldn’t really see why.  Batman served as a protector for these people, yes, a warrior, a guardian, but he was a guardian of fear, an avenger of justice.  He didn’t inspire good deeds, he merely punished evil ones.

                Was hope such a bad thing?  Even for Gotham?

                Suddenly, her eyes narrowed at an odd flash of color from an alleyway.  There was a girl… yes, she was dressed in red, and… was that… pink hair?

                Diana swept down in triumph.  At last.  Enough grandstanding.  Time to do real work.

 

* * *

 

 

                Atom Smasher crouched low over Stargirl, impassively noting the thud of sidewalk chunks as they bounced off his back.  Whatever was in that glowing orb the kid had aimed at Stargirl, it was a good thing Blue Devil had knocked him off course so it landed on the street instead.  Stargirl put up a good fight, but she was just a kid herself, and really had nothing special outside of the staff she was carrying.  Any one of the blocks falling could easily crack her skull open.

                Cautiously, he stood to his feet, shaking the remaining debris off.  “You okay?” he asked.

                “Sore, but I’m good.”  She grumbled, standing to her feet.  “What’s with that kid?”

                “He is a demon,” hissed the third member of their party, leaping next to them.

                “Look who’s talking.”  Stargirl cocked an eye at Blue Devil, grinning.  “You sure?  He doesn’t look like any of the evil spirits _I’ve_ met.”

                “I know his kind.”

                Failing to see the importance of the question, Atom Smasher shrugged.  “In any case, he’s dangerous.”  He intoned.  “Watchtower, is force authorized?”

                “Affirmative.”  J’onn’s voice informed them from his earpiece.  “Unidentified meta is to be considered hostile.  Reinforcements are en route.  Force is authorized, attempt to contain threat and if possible, neutralize it.”

                “Acknowledged.”  Atom Smasher nodded to the others. 

                With the sound of coughing, their attacker finally came in view.   Blonde hair waved over a pair of curiously yellow eyes (with horizontal irises, no less), and three strange whisker-like scars ran across each side of his face.  He wiped a set of bloodied knuckles on his medical gown and glared at them.

                Stargirl tilted her chin thoughtfully.  “Y’know… he’s kinda cute.”  Her two allies glanced at her.  “What?  I’m just saying…”

                “Nevermind,” interrupted Atom Smasher.  “We’ve got a job to do.  You take to the air and try to get at him from his blind spot.  Me and Blue Devil’ll… Blue Devil!”

                Without waiting for his companion’s order, the incarnate spirit had already dashed at their assailant, pitchfork raised.  Atom Smasher rushed after him, muttering curses.

                The teenager moved with blinding sped and sent Blue Devil flying with a single punch.  Just as quickly he whirled around again to meet the enormous punch being thrown at him from the other.  He stopped the massive fist with one palm, grabbed hold, and tossed the huge superhero into the air, straight at the oncoming Stargirl, who just barely managed to dodge him and move back to a safer range.  The boy, meanwhile, simply shifted back to his original defensive posture.

                “I changed my mind.”  Stargirl remarked as she shot over to a sullen Blue Devil.  “He’s not cute.”

                She received a grunt in response.  “Hrrf.  I told ya already.  He’s a demon.”

                “So?  Who says demons aren’t cute?”

                “I know one that isn’t.”

                Stargirl decided not to ask if he was referring to himself or to the boy in the middle.  “Anyway, wanna attack with the _rest_ of us this time, instead of going solo?  Cause that last round really stunk.”

                “So long as that thing dies, I don’ care.”  He growled.

                “Good… I guess.”  She eyed him momentarily before touching her communicator.  “Hey, Smasher?  Yeah, I know.  Right, together then.  How do you…”

                “He’s running.” Blue Devil interrupted her, pointing after a swiftly disappearing orange figure.

                “Crap!”  Stargirl shot into the air, Blue Devil a step behind her.

 

* * *

 

 

                Juugo didn’t know who the strange man in the dark cape was, but he wished he’d stay still for twenty straight seconds.

                After Suigetsu had been in the water for a while and it was pretty clear no one was coming, Sasuke-sama had ordered him down to check on the prisoners and see if any of them had caused the blinking thing on the computer.  Juugo honestly couldn’t say whether any of them had, because just when he’d been about to check up on them, he’d found the man in the dark cape.

                What bothered him was that he’d almost missed him.  He’d been walking along and come to the barricade in front of the boys rooms, and noticed that it was substantially smaller than it’d been before.  The next thing he knew, he’d been hit full in the back by a roundhouse kick that seemed to come from nowhere.

                No mere kick, of course, could keep Juugo down for long, nor the three that immediately followed.   But the last, striking him full in the face, gave him a rather sizeable headache, enough for him to justify triggering the half-transformation.   He’d had enough of this man, it was time to kill him.

                Now if the man would just remain in one place for long enough, he would do just that.  The caped figure had an annoying habit of not being in the place where Juugo’s blows landed, but it was only a matter of time and stamina.  And Juugo had plenty of both.

                “Stop running, damn you!” he roared, sweeping a stack of crates aside in his fury.  His only answer came in the shape of three small pellets that exploded around him.  He frowned in annoyance.  How many of those things did the man have?  Half the hallway had already been destroyed by their battle, and the other half was swiftly following.  Not that it mattered to Juugo, the explosions hurt him little more than a bad _Katon_ jutsu,  but they were annoying.

                Especially since they made him lose his target.  That was the other annoying thing about the man, half the time he was skulking in the shadows.  In a few moments he’d come flying out of nowhere, clock Juugo across the face, and jump back into the darkness.  Probably throw a few of those annoying pellets.

                Why did he bother?  The man didn’t seem to recognize that he was already dead.  All that remained was for Juugo to get one good grip on him.

                “Come out and fight!”  He shouted at the darkness.  “Coward!  Come out!  I’ll kill ya!  Come out!”

                And then to his surprise, the man did just that.  He dropped out of the darkness directly in front of Juugo and stood to his feet, assuming a fighting stance.   With a grin at the man’s stupidity, Juugo charged at him.

                The man ducked right, then left, then swept under Juugo’s enormous fist and neatly punched him in the chin.  Shrugging it off, Juugo brought up one of his knees, but the man shot back just in time and dropped to the floor to kick at his feet.   Juugo stumbled back a step, recovered himself, and ran forward, but the man suddenly wasn’t there.

                “Wa…?”

                A foot came crashing down from the darkness and planted itself in his face.

                Juugo’s head snapped back with the impact and he felt the floor simply fly away from under his feet.  “D-ddmmmnn… uuu” he gritted through the man’s foot, shortly before his head became reacquainted with the floor.  Through the ringing pain, he reached out with his hands and pushed off from the floor, bringing his fists up in a clumsy attempt to defend himself. 

 He could see the dark form of the man just before him, facing him, his back pushed up against the wall.  Blinking aside the dazzling lights in his eyes, Juugo rushed forward, truly screaming.  Both fists rose and fell with a resounding crash, smashing into the wall—no, door—where the man had been a second ago.

Hearing a heavy fall just behind him, Juugo turned and grinned.  Apparently he had not completely missed, the man was half-fallen on the floor, nursing one of his legs.

 _About time_ , he thought through his curse-clouded brain as he strode forward.   “Time to die.”  He hissed, focusing power in his fists.  “No more jumping.”

For the first time his opponent spoke.  “So long as you stay still in front of the door like that,” he said, “I don’t need to.”

The door…

The door.  The door that the prisoners were being kept behind.  The door that he had just smashed open and turned his back to.

The door that a stream of pure blue chakra shot out of and hit him straight in the back.

 

* * *

 

 

“Moving about in the daylight is dangerous, Sakura-san.”

                “I’m aware of that, Lee.”  Sakura groused, trying to keep her head down.  “But if we’re gonna find Neji, we need information, and if we need information, we need to blend in more, and if we need to blend in…”  she indicated the store across the street.  “…we need different clothes.”

                Chouji frowned.  “This isn’t just so you can try on new outfits, is it?”

                “For pity’s sake, Chouji, we’re stranded in an unknown territory being pursued by dangerous hostiles, and you think I’m going to be worrying about shopping!?”  Sakura snapped.  “Just how ditzy do you think I am?”

                Avoiding her gaze, Chouji simply mumbled, “Ino does it sometimes…”

                “Ino…  Never mind.  It doesn’t matter.  The point is, we need to…”  She stopped suddenly.  “Lee?  What’s the matter?”  The green-clad chunin had been staring up at the sky a moment ago, now he was suddenly studying the ground, his face bright red.

                “Sakura-san.”  He mumbled.  “Would you mind checking me for any brain injuries?”

                “What?”  Sakura automatically laid her hand on his forehead.  He didn’t seem feverish, though his skin was definitely very warm.

                “Would you mind doing that to me too, Sakura?”  Chouji’s mumble seemed strained somehow. 

                “What’s with you guys?”  Sakura glanced from one to the other.  Both were suddenly staring at the ground, both had bright red faces.  “I checked you both this morning, you’re fine!” 

                “I think I’m going insane.”

                “I also, Sakura-san.”

                “Maybe it’s the heat, or malnutrition, or…”

                “Would you guys just shut up and tell me what is going on!?”  Sakura exploded.

                There was a short pause, and then Lee, face bright red and eyes still fixed on the ground, said hesitantly, “There is a woman… flying toward us… in her underwear.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Naruto had to get himself a rod like that.

                He seriously did.  How often did you find a weapon that made you actually _fly_?  Seriously!  And let you levitate objects?  That was some serious level of awesome.  As far as he was concerned, that completely beat out Kisame’s Samehada sword-thingie.  Not that he’d ever seen that in action, of course, but hey.  _Flying_.

                In fact, if he hadn’t been trying so hard to escape being swatted by the enormous blocks of concrete she was hurling around, he would’ve stopped to get a good look at the thing, because, face it, you don’t see one of those every day.  As it was, though, he had to deal not only with the girl’s boulders, but also those the one giant was throwing at him.  Even if the boulders didn’t hurt him, they would knock him off balance, and that, with the way the blue-skinned nin was darting in and out at him, was something he could not risk.

                He didn’t get that blue-skinned guy.  First… blue skin?  Second, though he could sense energy pouring off the man, the ninja hadn’t used a single jutsu.  And third, he kept charging in amongst the boulders his own teammates were throwing to try and spear Naruto with the weird pitchfork he was carrying.  Judging from the way the other two yelled at him every time, Naruto felt pretty sure that he wasn’t supposed to be doing that.

                _Maybe I pissed this guy off somehow?  But I don’t even know him.  Heck, I can’t even understand him_.

                That really bothered him.  Everyone here seemed to be simply jabbering to each other.  That man back in the room could talk, why couldn’t these people?  They seemed to understand each other, but it was all quite beyond Naruto.

                Here came the blue one again.  Naruto dodged a sweep from the trident, whipped around, and kicked the man full in the chest with sage strength. The blow sent the man flying clear across the square and crashing into a building.

                It wouldn’t be enough, though.  It was never enough, that one just kept getting up.  And that kept him from getting the other two, and that kept him from getting out of here before any ninja reinforcements arrived.

                Enough of this. He decided, whipping aside as another boulder crashed to the ground beside him.  Breaking into a run, he headed straight for the flying girl, his fingers following a practiced seal.

                _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_

 

* * *

 

 

                “Hmph.”  Batman stood to his (suddenly undamaged) legs.  “So much for stealth.  Whoever that last one is, he’s got to know by now that I’m in the tower.”  Shaking his head free of such thoughts, he stepped over the comatose body of his foe and poked his head in the makeshift cell.  “Robin, we need to move.”

                “Duuuude! … is that… I mean, you’re not…  the REAL Batman?”

                The Real Batman frowned at the strange green boy crouched against the opposite wall.  “I take it Robin isn’t in here either, then.”

                “Dude!  THE Batman!”  The shapeshifter seemed oblivious to anything but the famous superhero before him.  “Oh wow, man, this is just incredible!  I mean, you’re like one of the greatest heroes of all time and you’re coming here to rescue us and I’m actually MEETING you and… Cyborg!  Cyborg are you… aw man, he’s out cold.  But… dude… can like… can I like take a picture with you or something?”

                Ignoring the request, Batman knelt and examined the pile of metal sitting next to the boy.  “Energy depletion.”  He muttered.  “Must’ve used the last of it on that blast.  At least he has enough to stay alive while in stasis like this.”

                “Um… Batman sir?”  Apparently Batman’s comments had reminded Beast Boy of the more pertinent emergencies.   “He can only stay in stasis for so long, his batteries…”

“I know.”  Batman cut him him off.  “But you can’t use anything here in the tower, I’ve blown the reactor.”

Beast Boy twitched.  “What?”

“Why do you think the lights went off?”  Batman snorted.  “Here.”  He tossed a flashlight to Beast Boy, who made no move to catch it as it tumbled against the ground.  “Bring him down to the bottom level and hook him to the back-up generator.  Then go to the sub harbor.  My own sub is fried, but you can probably…”  He stopped and glared at the shapeshifter.  “What are you waiting for?  Get moving!”

“I… can’t.”

Batman narrowed his eyes.  “What?”

“I can’t move, Batman sir.”

Frowning, Batman moved to examine the boy.  “You have several bones broken…”  he muttered.  “But you’re a shapeshifter, that shouldn’t…”

“I know it shouldn’t.”  The teenager interrupted.  “I know, but I can’t shift without it hurting for some reason.  I’ve tried to change to a gorilla and an octopus and even a giant spider, but...” he shook his head feebly.  “I can’t.”

                “Did they do something to your powers?”

                “Not that I remember.  The last thing I know, I was fighting that big guy—the one you were fighting out there—and then I woke up here with everything hurting.”

                Batman glanced back at the unconscious figure in the hallway and frowned in thought for a moment.  He tapped his chin thoughtfully.  “Did they handcuff you?”

                Beast Boy blinked.  “Yeah.”

                “Let me see.”  The handcuffs had the same strange markings.  He quickly picked them apart.  “Try now.”

                Beast Boy’s eyes flared in fear, but he closed his eyes and started. Swiftly, hair sprouted from his back, claws from his toes, his legs…

                “AH!”  Suddenly there was nothing but a whimpering green boy there again.  “I’m sorry sir, I really am, but I can’t seem to…”

                “Alright, alright.”  Batman frowned at the cuffs.  There went that theory.  But what _were_ the markings for then?   Shaking his head, he tucked them into a spare pouch on his belt.  He’d have to figure it out later.  Right now he had two teenagers in need of urgent attention.

                “Where’s Robin?”  He asked.

                Beast Boy shrugged.  “That other guy took him out of here sometime ago.  I don’t know where he is.  I think they were going to question him.”

                “Alright.”  Reaching into his utility belt, he brought out two small electronic tabs.  “Hold this.”  He instructed Beast Boy, placing the other on Cyborg’s inert from.  Then he straightened up and touched his ear.  “Batman to Watchtower.”

                “Bats!  Man, where have you been?  We’ve got a developing situation in Metropolis, man, we need you…”

                “I need you to teleport out two passive beacons near my position.”  Batman snapped.  “Teen Titan members, in need of urgent medical care.”

                “Medical…” there was a pause.  “Bats, what’ve you been up to this time…”

                “Just do it.  Batman out.”  Clicking off his communicator, Batman nodded to the astounded shapeshifter.  “That should take care of the two of you.  When they ask, tell them there’s a developing hostage situation here and that they shouldn’t do anything until they hear from me.”

                “Yes sir!”  The awestruck Beast Boy had just enough time to watch Batman vanish into the hallway before a blue light enveloped him.

 

* * *

 

 

                Atom Smasher wasn’t stupid.  A lot of people thought he was, but that was only because he was big and strong.  Naturally, they assumed anyone so big and strong must be stupid.

                Well, he wasn’t.  Wasn’t smart either, for that matter, but definitely wasn’t stupid.

                So when he heard a series of poofing noises and saw half a thousand teenagers pop into existence in front of him, he didn’t waste time.  He started punching.  Not because that was all he knew how to do, but because generally, when you found yourself surrounded by attackers, you started punching and worked out the details as you went.

                The fact that he’d seen a whole troop of the clones dragging down Stargirl had only made his decision more justified.

                So far, he’d worked out that that most of the clones were pushovers.  They dissipated at one solid hit into a cloud of vapors.  If he had to theorize, he’d say that the original teenager had some quantum replication ability.  That would explain the instantaneous appearance as well as the obvious structural instability.

                The instability meant that the clones individually posed no threat.  So far, none of them had made any of the glowing orbs the original had made.  The sheer amount of them, however, did make things difficult, as did their incredible speed.

                Still, Atom Smasher wasn’t slow either.  Again, his size made a lot of people think so, but if they’d seen him plowing through the sea of orange bodies, they’d have to swiftly revise that idea.  He might have nearly twenty teenagers clinging to his back and another ten on his feet, but he could sweep the ones in front aside.

                He couldn’t see Stargirl.  He hadn’t been able to see her for a while now, she had been dragged down to the ground a while ago.  That was bad.  Her powers were mostly flight-based, she might not last for long.

                He stumbled a little and angrily shook off five or so new clingers on his ankles.  One of them fell underfoot and exploded in a cloud of dust.

                Where had Blue Devil gone off to?  Probably still back at that building where he’d been thrown.  A lot of smoke was coming from there.  Atom Smasher didn’t understand what’d gotten into his teammate, he’d been fighting like… well, a devil.  Something about their opponent really seemed to bother him.

                He stumbled again and shook his other foot.  Only three came off this time.

                His progress was growing slower.  Bad.  Even if these clones couldn’t finish him off by themselves, the original could easily sneak up on him, especially while he was stationary like this.  He needed more strength.

                With a single thought, he increased his size and mass, rearing up into the sky and shaking off the hitchhikers.  Looming above the square, he glanced about for the original.  Hearing a defiant yell, he turned to face it.

                Atom Smasher noticed two things.  One, his enemy had Stargirl’s cosmic rod and was flying at him.  Two, he had a glowing orb in his right…

                That was about as far as he got before the orb smashed into him and everything went black.

 

* * *

 

 

                They didn’t even try to run.  They simply stood there in the deserted lot, facing her impassively as she glided to a landing.

                Well… the girl faced her impassively.  The two boys seemed unable to look directly at her.

                Wonder Woman cleared her throat.  Unlike Batman, she preferred to avoid conflict if possible.  “I am Wonder Woman of the Justice League.  I extend to you the greetings of our dimension, and ask you your name and business in this world.”

                Silence.  The pink-haired girl was eying her with obvious hostility, and the two boys seemed unwilling to do anything until she did.

                Diana tried a different tack.  “I regret to say that we cannot allow you strangers to wander at will in our land.  We must first ascertain your intentions and whether they are friendly.  Please, come with me, or I shall be forced to compel you.”  She smiled gently to take away the sting of the words.

                The pink-haired girl finally spoke.  “ _Yariman_ ,” she said, disgust evident in every syllable.

                Oh.  That’s right.  Japanese.

                “ _Raishuimasu_!”   Two blurs darted at her, one a huge rolling boulder of flesh, the other a green streak of energy.

                Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Diana dashed at the one and simply threw the enormous teenager over her head.  Whipping around to face the green streak, she brought up her bracelets, blocking the flurry of blows aimed at her.  She deflected bullets with her hands on a daily basis.  Did these teenagers honestly think she couldn’t handle them?

                Reaching out, she caught one green arm in her hand.  She caught the other in her other hand.  Before the boy could bring up his feet, she twisted him in the air and sent him flying.

                Then she turned to face the pink girl.

 

* * *

 

 

                Batman hung in the shadows beyond the door, thinking through his battle plan.

                Robin was in this room.  He had to be.  The control room was certainly the most logical place for the intruder’s leader to be, even if he didn’t know how to use the computers.  The homing device he had on Robin’s belt also showed him to be in this room, and though Robin probably wasn’t wearing the belt anymore, the attackers would probably have kept it close by.  That meant that the leader must be in this room, and that Robin must be with him.

                He’d checked the surrounding chambers, just to be sure.  No sense in leaving himself open to attack from the rear, after all.  As he’d expected, they were empty.  According to what he’d heard from the other Titans, the leader was the only one left, and the leader was with Robin.  In this room.

                That didn’t bother Batman.  Neither did the fact that he knew next to nothing about this leader’s abilities, though they had to be substantial.  No.  What bothered Batman was that this highly dangerous, presumably homicidal leader, who by now HAD to be aware that his subordinates had been incapacitated, was in the same room with a presumably helpless Robin.

                It just screamed ‘hostage situation.’

                Batman hated hostage situations, especially when the aggressor involved knew he was around.  And REALLY especially when they involved someone close like Robin.  Unless you made valuable and potentially disastrous concessions to the aggressor, they tended to end badly.  About the only thing you could do was use stealth to your advantage and…

                “I can see you out there, you know,” remarked a cold voice in perfect Japanese.  “You can’t get to the last one without facing me, so come in and get it over with.”

                _So much for advantage_.  Batman thought grimly.  The two red eyes that glared at him removed any suspicion of bluffing.  _He can see in the dark.  It figures_.

                Standing erect, Batman strode into the room, long dark cape trailing behind him, and faced the red eyed teenager.

 

* * *

 

 

                _This thing is a little trickier than I thought_.  Naruto eyed the staff contemplatively.  _Still.  Awesome.  Can’t wait till I get the hang of it._  

                He’d just about lost it.  Though he’d moved quickly enough to catch the girl by surprise and grab hold of it, she hadn’t given it up without a fight.  And after that, when he’d thought he’d gotten it for good, he’d found out she could call it back to her with a thought.  He’d had to beat her unconscious just to be able to fully use it.

                Still.  It’d been worth it.  He’d taken down that big guy with no problem at all, and now the annoyingly persistent blue-skinned nin lay at his feet, bruised and beaten.  It’d cost him plenty of clones and more than a few cuts from the thing’s trident—that thing really hurt, and Kyuubi didn’t like it for some reason—but he’d finally gotten him to stay down.  After all, with two broken legs, there wasn’t much more the blue skinned nin could do.

                He frowned at his new staff.  _I wonder if this thing can fly me back to Konoha._   Granted, he didn’t quite know where he was, but a little scouting should fix that.

                A groan interrupted his thoughts and he whipped around to gaze with disbelief.  The blue skinned guy was getting up AGAIN.  Well, as much as he could.  He had half-raised himself on his arms and was glaring at Naruto with baleful yellow eyes.

                It didn’t make a difference, really.  In that state, the ninja couldn’t even follow him, much less attack.  Naruto shrugged off the glare and prepared to lift off into the sky.

                And then the man spoke, and to Naruto’s amazement he could understand the words.

                “ **You cannot escape forever, demon**.” It growled.  “ **Wherever you fly to, I will come.  I will find and banish you and all your kind**.”

                _Wha… how?_

                Sixteen years of being shunned by villagers and chased by S-level terrorists had made Naruto rather sensitive about the word ‘demon.’  It had also made him rather hostile to those who hunted them.

                _Can’t kill him._   He thought as the chakra formed in his palm to form a shining orb.  _But I can’t leave him able to follow me either.   Only thing to do is…_

                His thoughts were cut off as a blue blur shot out of nowhere and knocked him off his feet.  Astounded, he turned to face his new attacker.

 

* * *

 

 

                Long black hair, pale skin, and blue eyes.   Strange metal bracelets and tall red boots.  Odd gold shining lasso.  Blue underwear, red and white corset. 

                Sakura snorted as she eyed the woman in front of her.  What a bimbo.  No armor, no supply packets, not even a place to conceal…well, anything.  So far, the only thing she had going for her was speed and power.  Sakura had plenty of those.

                “And just who might you be?”  She asked.  The woman replied in a long string of jargon, but Sakura caught two words that seemed to be her answer.

                “ _Wonder Woman_.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Across the darkened room, Sasuke smirked at the caped man.  Impressive, really.  From the sounds down there, this Juugo had been taken down by this man.  And given that Suigetsu wasn’t responding to the radio, Sasuke felt pretty sure he’d met the same fate.   This man had power, no doubt about it.  Even when Sasuke had called him out on his hiding spot, he hadn’t flinched, just walked forward into the room.

                Yet for all his strength, the man had one crucial weakness.  He had too many bonds.  Though Sasuke didn’t understand why, he knew the man was here for the unconscious teenager in the corner.  As long as the boy was in Sasuke’s hands, this man had no choice but to fight him.

                Beautiful.  Perhaps this man might even pose a challenge.

                “Well.”  He smirked, slowly drawing Kusanagi.  “And who might you be?”

                The man bent into a fighting posture.  “I’m Batman.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Naruto got up, coughing and shaking his head clear of the pain.  Where had THAT come from?  One second his sage mode just had a glimmer of movement five miles away, and the next second a fist was crashing into his face.  And… it hurt!  Even at sage-level invincibility, it hurt!

                Grimacing, he stood to his feet and faced his opponent.  Red cape, tight blue spandex, red boots, red underwear.  Naruto would have felt inclined to laugh, if he hadn’t seen the man’s face.

                The man was enraged.  Pure, white fury burned at Naruto from his face, and the ninja could almost swear his eyes were glowing.  His mouth, set in a thin line, bared back to show glinting teeth.  Fists balled in shaking rage as the man began to hover above the ground.

                Hover?  Oh NO.

                “Who are you?”  Naruto whispered, half in reflex.  To his astonishment, the blue creature from the ground answered.

                “ **Superman**.”  It whispered in awe, staring at the figure.

                Naruto swallowed, set himself in position, and brought up his staff in readiness.  Something told him this wasn’t going to be easy.

               

               


	7. Escalation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke vs. Batman. Sakura vs. Wonder Woman. Naruto vs. Superman. 
> 
> Things are just going from Bad to Worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the promo pic I did to announce the start of CotD on DevART. It doesn't exactly fit into any moment, and Superman looks weird, but it's still pretty fun.

“Look, White, I’m in the city right now! I can practically see… well okay, I can only see the smoke from the impact, but I’ve gotta be closer than anyone else right now! Lemme do this!”

Hinata didn’t know exactly what the strange device in the woman’s hand was, but she felt pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to be talking on it while driving. At least, not driving the way the woman was. Since the second they’d seen the flying shape and the explosion, the woman had suddenly gunned the car,weaving in and out of traffic in a truly breathtaking fashion that made Hinata clutch the side of her seat.

“White, please. You know I can do these sort of stories better than ANYONE.” A slight pause. “So? That just means I get the better inside story! Besides, the readers know... White? Perry, you still there?” The woman glanced at the strange device and frowned. 

“Hello? Boss? I… Oh there you are. What…” The squawking sound from the cell phone cut her off. “What!? Superman? Okay, I am SO there, White. No, I don’t care. Look, boss, you can send your own man in if you want to, but I’m going anyway.”

“Fine. Okay then.” The lady clicked her cell phone shut and returned her attention to darting in and out of traffic. “Right.” She muttered, apparently deep in thought. “White said they were in the town square, so the fastest…”

“Ummm… Lois-san? What’s going on?”

“What?” The woman jerked in surprise and stared at her for a moment. “Oh! Man, kid, you’re so darn quiet I forgot you were there.” She passed a hand through her hair. “Nothing much. Super-brawl downtown. Happens a lot. Still, it means a story, and with us this close it might just be MY story.” Lois licked her lips and got an almost predatory look on her face. “Front page. With SUPERMAN. I tell you, kiddo…”

“So… we’re going down to see it?” Hinata wasn’t quite sure she liked the sound of that.

The lady glanced over at her and for a moment her eyes widened in comprehension. “Damn. Forgot about that. I don’t suppose you’d mind going to see it?” 

“W-well…” Though she’d been in plenty of dangerous situations—she’d nearly died several times—Hinata didn’t really enjoy seeking out danger. Still, if it meant so much to Lois-san…

“No.” Lois cut her off before she could reply. “No, that’d just be stupid. It’d be one thing if you were a reporter or something, but a kid like you… No.”

“I-I could do it, Lois-san. If you really want t-to, we could…”

“Forget it. I’ve got a better idea.” Lois wrenched the steering wheel, sending the small car whizzing between two trucks over to the side of the road. “Here,” she said, reaching over and unbuckling Hinata’s seatbelt. “Tell you what. There’s a park over…” she gestured vaguely. “…over that way. Ketler Park. Just go over there and wait by the bench. I’ll be back to pick you up.” She tossed a smooth, glittering object at Hinata, who caught it almost automatically before recognizing it as the strange device from before. “If you run into problems, call me on my cell phone.”

Hinata stared at her. “B-but… but…”

“No buts! C’mon, shoo, we’re on a timetable here!” The woman nearly pushed Hinata out the door. “Now just stay in the park and don’t wander to far, okay? I’ll be back! Bye!”

And with that, the car shot off into the traffic, leaving behind a hopelessly bewildered Hyuuga.

* * *

 

_How does he do that?_

If he weren’t so busy fighting, Naruto would have simply been dumbfounded by the jutsus at his opponent’s disposal. Invincibility? Super strength? Lasers from his eyes? Flying, for Kami’s sake?

Even more incredible was the fact that the man seemed to be doing it completely without the use of any chakra. Naruto couldn’t sense a bit of it in the area, outside of the amount coming from the crumpled blue-skinned one. And he didn’t have any kind of special weapon, like Kisame or that one girl had had. As far as Naruto could tell, the man was absolutely normal.

So how was he doing it?

A relative of Lee’s? The man was wearing blue spandex, after all. AND red underwear, which was something even Gai didn’t have the audacity to do. Lee could JUST about fly, with his speed and strength and everything. But this guy was… hovering. Not just shooting about like what Lee did, he simply floated above the ground. So how…

A pair of red beams burning a hole in his jacket cut off his thoughts. Again, the beams didn’t hurt, but they were annoying and they were ruining the jacket. HIS jacket. Putting some energy into the rod, he shot forward, aiming a rasengan straight at his opponent.

A blur of motion and the man was gone. The rasengan smashed into the street, creating yet another crater amongst the thousands already marking the square. Following sage mode instinct, Naruto darted to the left, narrowly avoiding a massive blow from behind as his attacker smashed into the street, creating a crater to rival Naruto’s. 

How does he do that?

* * *

 

“You have one chance to surrender,” the dark-caped man—Batman, Sasuke reminded himself—said flatly.

The audacity of the man. Him, the last Uchiha, surrender? To a chakra-less mercenary without even a decent name? ‘Bat-man’ indeed. Sasuke could discern absolutely nothing threatening in the man, except perhaps the obviously experienced way he carried himself. 

Yet that in itself was a warning. Even if the man didn’t seem dangerous, the fact that he’d taken out Suigetsu and Juugo meant that he was, and that Sasuke ought to respect him as such.

Proper respect had never been a big part of Sasuke’s life.

Without even deigning to answer, he darted forward at the man, sword upraised, sharingan activated.

The thing that really annoyed Sasuke about the Sharingan was that, on the off chance you faced an incredibly skilled opponent, you could SEE yourself about to get hit and you wouldn’t be able to do a single thing about it. Oh sure, you could maybe roll with the punch a little, harden your muscles or whatever… but the point stood—the Sharingan allowed you to see yourself get humiliated in slow-motion.

Two minutes into their fight, Sasuke had already seen it fourteen times. From different angles, in different ways, with different amounts ofperception. Some he didn’t even see—he felt the blow come out of nowhere and jerked around just in time to avoid the follow-up. Kusanagi had gone flying away somewhere early in the fight, and though Sasuke knew where it was, he could not make the time to get over to it. Indeed, it was all he could do just to keep up with the flurry of blows coming at him. Sasuke did his best to copy the moves, but… they were so completely unpredictable! The attacks seemed to come from all kinds of styles, orientations, and philosophies. Sasuke could not see how the man managed to link them together.

Well, he could still do one thing the man could not. His fingers moved in a frenzy, he blew, and a fireball burst from his mouth.

The man’s eyes widened, he threw something to the floor, and smoke erupted, obliterating Sasuke’s attack in moments.

Sasuke stared. How… what had just happened? How had that man managed to defuse one of his fire jutsus?

The man seemed to be eying him also. “Tell me.” He said. “Aren’t you from Konoha?”

Something inside Sasuke turned cold. How did this man know of Konoha? They were in a different world, weren’t they?

“Not anymore.” He replied, dashing forward.

* * *

  
Sakura was really, really annoyed with this lady. Not only did she dress like some kind of night hawk, she seemed incapable of saying anything intelligible. A continual flow of gibberish came flowing from her mouth.

Of course, the fact that she was fast, strong, beautiful, and could fly kinda annoyed Sakura too, particularly at the moment as she was lying in a heap of concrete at the far end of the parking lot. Fortunately Lee, who had gotten back up, was keeping said annoying woman occupied with his Konoha senpuu. The woman had some impressive blocking skills, but she still had difficulty keeping up with Lee’s flurry of blows.

Ignoring the pain, Sakura pushed herself out of the rubble and to her feet. She would be the first to admit that she wasn’t the greatest fighter in the world. Naruto and Sasuke had always left her far behind in terms of power, and even Lee was, in many respects, a better fighter than her.

But Sakura WAS a better thinker than nearly any other rookie. 

Since last night, Sakura and her team had been focused on retrieving Neji. They had decided sometime this morning that to do that, they had to get the man who’d caught him. And, under Sakura’s direction, they had spent most of the morning turning this parking lot into one giant trap for that express purpose.

This woman had been doomed the second she touched foot in here.

“Get back.” Sakura ordered Lee. “She’s mine.”

* * *

 

In any fight, Superman reminded himself, he needed to stay in control. When you have near-infinite power at your disposal, you can’t go all out on just anyone. You need to work carefully, work up to your opponent’s pain threshold, so you can make sure you don’t accidently crush his skull or something.

At the moment, however, that control was hard to keep. Not only had this new meta badly mangled a League member, not only had he stolen another’s weapon, he also seemed to be largely impervious to most of Superman’s blows. Clark was trying to gradually increase the power, but it was incredibly tempting to just give the blonde teenager one solid hit and knock him down for good.

Heat vision had no effect. He’d tried ice breath, but the boy had dodged it. As a matter of fact, the boy had an uncanny ability to sense attacks coming from any angle. He seemed hyper-aware of his surroundings and constantly evaded projectiles and punches alike. Only by using his super-speed could Superman manage to land any hits.

Like just now. Superman’s mighty fist grazed the boy’s chin, with nearly an eighth of his full power behind it. 

The teen went flying, but Superman cursed under his breath. When his fist had connected, he’d felt the blonde rolling with that punch. The meta may not have been able to stop it, but he’d still kept Superman from any kind of solid blow.

Regardless, it did relieve the tension somewhat to watch the orange shape go crashing into the building. Plumes of dust exploded from the building as the figure crashed through floor after floor, until finally the bottom erupted and the whole building toppled slowly to the ground.

 _It’s a good thing they cleared out this sector after the impact._ Superman mused. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a coughing figure emerge from the rubble. _At the rate this guy’s going, we may need more buildings._

“You’ve done enough!” He called to the teenager sternly. “Stand down!”  
The teenager cocked his head. _“Nani? Nani o hanasimasu?”_

Superman blinked. A different language? Where had this boy come from?

Before he could complete the thought the boy shrugged. “ _Ja ne_.” He dashed forward, a glowing orb in his palm.

Quickly shaking out of his reverie, Superman shot a hundred yards away and touched his earpiece. “Terrific.” He said. “See if you can figure out what he’s saying and get a translator out here.”

“No need.” Came the reply. “I know that language. It’s…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Superman caught sight of the teenager breaking into a run, heading for the outskirts. “Superman out!” he roared, clicking the device off as he flew after the blonde. They couldn’t have him leaving the area! More people were outside this area, they needed to contain the damage! Superman shot ahead of the boy and brought himself back to charge…

Straight into a massive glowing orb.

 

* * *

 

So far, Batman considered, things were going well. This kidnapper apparently had no interest in using Robin to coerce him. He seemed satisfied with merely trying Batman’s ability against his own.

Batman could respect that. In fact, he could respect a lot about this boy. He was obviously a capable fighter in his own right and had lightning-fast reflexes. Not only that, but he had access to a wide range of powers which he used judiciously and rapidly.

One thing that he could not respect, though, was the boy’s nature. Everything about this teenager practically radiated killer. He shot deadly fireballs and lightning attacks at Batman with ruthless efficiency, and more than once tried to send his sparking sword slicing through Batman’s chest. His eyes were cold and unfeeling.

And those eyes… they were dangerous. Batman had a feeling they could do more than just see in the dark.

Altogether, this boy had perhaps the worst combination of faults and virtues. He was a flawless fighter, a powerful meta, and an unhesitating killer. Batman had managed to stay ahead of his attacks for the moment, but just barely, and eventually fatigue would take its toll.

 _Exploding pellets seem to disorient him, but not for long._ He noted. _Smoke pellets do seem to affect his vision, so distraction possible. Disables most of my standard weaponry—Batarangs, pellets—fairly easily, must have had practice. Most likely from battling Robin. Strong in hand-to-hand and long-distance techniques alike._

He bit his lip and considered as he dodged under a sudden burst of flames. L _ong-distance attack my weak point. However, hand-to-hand puts me in dangerous range of his meta abilities. Need to take down quickly. Best accomplished by combination of stealth and disorientation._

His plan devised, Batman reached into his belt, leaping away as lightning coursed beneath him, and threw a handful of pellets at his opponent. Unsurprisingly, the teenager leapt away, failing to recognize that the pellets were not armed.

Then again, how could he? Batman considered, tossing his REAL salvo at the in-mid-jump teenager.

Smoke erupted around the room, dense, clinging smoke. Batman threw himself into a roll, scooping up the unarmed explosive pellets he had thrown earlier. Two went whistling into the cloud of smoke.

Two explosions and a muffled curse. Batman dashed into the smoke. He’d missed the teenager, but now he knew where he was. The boy’s heat signature glowed red in the eyes of his cowl. 

A quick swing, and his fist met flesh and bone. 

_Position confirmed_. Batman flew into a flurry of kicks and punches. _I have to take him down now, follow up on my advantage._ Mercilessly his fists flew, following the boy’s every movement. He didn’t have long, already he could hear the clicks of the sprinkler system, activated by the smoke from his grenades. Water will dissipate smoke, making stealth substantially more difficult.

 _Out of time!_ Batman dropped to the floor and whirled around. _Take him out… NOW!_ His arm shot forward in a powerful blow aimed at where he knew the teen’s head must be.

Solid bone met his knuckles. Solid bone, burning with fire.

 

* * *

 

“Great Hera!” Wonder Woman swiftly jumped away from an array of metal pipes that came crashing to the ground. Where did those come from?

“RRRRAAAAAH!”

Biting the thought off, she turned to face the pink-haired fury flying at her. The girl wasn’t as fast as the green one, but she hit much harder. Diana whipped away from her sweeping blow and whirled around in a full roundhouse kick. It caught the teenager in the stomach and sent her flying. But why was she smiling?

Something slammed into Diana’s back, knocking her over. She braced for the fall, recovered from it, and shot back up. A steel beam, she noted distantly. On a cable. The girl must have set it free by slicing a wire of some kind. But how…

A sudden flash of green caught her eye and she whirled around just in time to block a flurry of kicks from the very intense-looking one. 

This kid... was something like dodging bullets. Except at point-blank range. She didn’t get it, this kid had been challenging in the first few minutes, but not seriously dangerous. Then he’d suddenly taken something off his legs and now… Great Hera, where did he get that SPEED from? If he didn’t fight in such an obviously linear fashion, she’d never have been able to keep up.

Suddenly she saw the other one… the kid in armor, heading toward her. As if by plan, the green blur moved to the side, letting the other one aim a punch at her.  
Diana smiled. This teenager was much slower, and the green blur was now confined to one line of attack. Almost lazily she brought up her hand to block the boy’s fist.

And then suddenly, the fist grew nearly three times as huge and plowed into her.

* * *

 

Something was going on, Neji decided. About half-an-hour ago the entire building had shaken, and whatever attendants there were had left the room immediately. Since then, only a few people had dashed in and out, mostly to check their vital signs and then dash out again.

Neji could sense other things too. Their room muffled sounds from the outside—a genjutsu, doubtless—but even so he could hear people running around and shouting.

Frowning, Neji considered. He didn’t want to use his Byakugan here… it was too likely to be noticed and harvested. He’d only used it once before, to ascertain their surroundings, and he felt even that had been unwise. After all, regardless of the fact that his eyes were sealed and therefore useless for transplantation, the captors would doubtless still rather have an eyeless Hyuuga than a seeing one, however sealed.

There didn’t seem to be any guards in the prison now, but Neji suspected they were still being watched—in fact, he would have thought much less of their captors if they weren’t. He didn’t want to risk it and yet… if something WAS going on, like an attack, they ought to be aware and ready to help.

Sighing, Neji leant as far forward as he could and looked over. Sai, the only one who still seemed to be aware, glanced back.

Neither spoke by common understanding, but Sai arched his eyebrows suggestively.

Neji nodded and closed his eyes, making the seal with one hand. _Byakugan!_

A simple look confirmed his initial belief—yes, something was going on, everyone in the building was running around and doing things—but it also told him something VERY unexpected.

Neji glanced over at Sai. “Naruto’s here.”

 

* * *

 

 _Yes!_ Naruto just barely refrained from doing a victory dance as he saw red-cape go flying across the square. It worked! A lucky guess, maybe, but it’d still worked. He’d noticed the guy had a strange propensity for head-on attacks, and guessed that if he was going to try and stop him, he’d pop up directly in front of him.

Boy had that paid off.

A fun trick, but too lucky to work more than once. This guy would be back up in a second, and Naruto’d be out of tricks. He needed to finish the guy off while he was down. Gathering chakra into his hand in a giant rasengan, Naruto rushed at the man’s fallen figure. One hit to the head should be all it would take. If he could just get there before the man got up…

A wall of glowing green energy came out of nowhere, slamming into him.

 

* * *

 

Panting, Sasuke clutched at one eye while using the other to track the dark figure as it leapt back. Despite the pain, Sasuke allowed himself a dark grin. Finally. His malfunctioning Sharingan still annoyed him incredibly, but so long as his core abilities functioned, he could work around that. This man had unprecedented taijutsu skills and a wide array of bizarre weaponry, but before Sasuke’s power he was nothing.

A fresh wave of pain tore through him and he gasped, digging his fingers deeper into the skin. Only a partial Susanoo, and still it hurt this bad?

“Looks like that ability of yours has its drawbacks.”

Glancing up, Sasuke bit back a curse. How on earth had he… but of course, the flames had only caught on the man’s glove, and anyone could shake off a glove. The man’s knuckles looked somewhat singed, but outside of that he seemed fairly unperturbed as he circled Sasuke. The shower from above made a small mist rise on his cape. “From the amount of pain it seems to be giving you, I’d guess you can’t keep it up forever.”

“I don’t need to.” Sasuke growled as he allowed the shield to subside. The water was dripping all around him, too, but he ignored it. “It was just to give me some breathing room, not for me to hide behind. I can defeat you without even calling on my full powers.”

The man did not react. “Interesting fire…” he mused. “Burns straight through asbestos, and the water isn’t affecting it…”

“They are the black flames of Amaterasu,” grinned Sasuke, giving his head a little toss, shaking off a few drops. “They are inextinguishable and all-consuming.”

“Hm.” 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He did not feel the man was treating his power with the proper respect.

Before he could address the issue, however, the man had rushed forward and was again attacking. After the past few minutes of fighting, however, Sasuke had gotten better used to the man’s rhythm, and was even starting to pick up on some of the moves.

“A quick learner, I see,” commented the man as Sasuke blocked a kick with one of his own moves. He leapt into the air, spun over Sasuke’s head, and planted a kick squarely in his back. “Not quick enough, though.” 

Grunting, Sasuke heaved himself to his feet, fingers already flying in a series of seals. Apparently the man had learned what that meant, as he was already dancing away. “Katon: Gokyuu no Jutsu!” The fireball exploded from his mouth, searing its way toward the man, who suddenly stopped and smirked.

The fireball fizzled to nothing but steam before it’d crossed half the distance to the caped figure. 

_What?_ Sasuke tried not to gape, but it was hard. How had that failed? 

“Water sprinklers,” stated the man on the other side, pointing up at the ceiling as if Sasuke hadn’t noticed the before. “Makes things difficult for your little fire-breathing trick, doesn’t it?”

Ridiculous.  Sasuke had fought in the midst of thunderstorms before.  This anemic dribble should have been nothing.

  
“Probably makes it difficult to use that electricity thing of yours without shocking yourself either,” continued the man, unconscious of Sasuke’s confusion. “As a matter of fact, the only ability of yours that I imagine still has much effect while these things are on are those black flames of yours.”

Sasuke growled and looked up, preparing to show the man exactly how potent those flames could be.

“Like this one.” He registered the black, burning glove speeding toward his face moments before it slapped full on and set his skin afire.

 

* * *

 

 _Oh, come ON!_ Sakura’s inner thought raged as the woman pushed Chouji’s fist off of her. _We so totally had her with that one! Is she invincible or something?_

Apparently so, she decided, as their attacker shot at Chouji and punched him across the parking lot. For a second there, when Chouji’s fist had flattened the woman into the pavement, Sakura had gotten hopeful. Now, it was readily apparent that the attack had only surprised, not damaged her.

No worries. They still had plenty of traps left, and she and Lee still could match this lady. Sakura was nearly as strong as her, and Lee, without his weights, seemed to be just a trifle faster.

So really, skill wise, they were about equal.

Except, of course, that the lady could fly. Sakura was reminded of this fact as she shot away from Lee up into the sky, before dashing back down again in a vain attempt to catch Lee off his footing.

Flying. How was she doing that?

That one Pain body could fly. Sakura considered. Through gravity repulsion. Is that how she’s doing it? But she hasn’t been using any gravity-like abilities. Maybe sheer jumping power? But no, she hovers and circles and floats. She hasn’t been making any seals, so… but wait, no one has chakra here.

Sakura hated fighting enemies she knew nothing about. Fighting enemies in a completely different world with a completely different set of rules REALLY stank. If this lady had just been an out-and-out mercenary, like that man they’d met earlier, things would have been fairly straightforward. But no, they had to run into a flying lady who dressed like some kind of dancing girl.  Lee didn't seem as focused as usual, and Sakura had a pretty good idea why.

Sakura huffed, studying the two battling it out in the square. Yup, definitely not as accurate as normal. She should run down there to help, she knew, the second that woman managed to land a hit, Lee would end up clear on the other side of the parking lot. But Chouji’s attack had shown her that they weren’t going to get anywhere with this woman unless they thought out some kind of battle plan. 

_She’s invincible, strong, fast, and flies_. Sakura idly tossed out a few kunai, setting off some traps to give Lee a chance to back out. _We can’t run, we can’t hide, we need to beat her, or we’ll never get back Neji. Yet with the amount of damage she can take… That’s going to take a while. And Lee can’t keep this up forever, any more than I can._

With a final weary shrug, Sakura jumped back down to the parking lot. _Guess we’ll just have to wing it._

 

* * *

 

“Geez man, he pounded you a new one. Magic?”

“Maybe.” Superman picked himself from the rubble. “But it felt… different. In either case, that kid’s incredibly strong.” Glancing up at the new arrival, he added, “Thanks for the save, GL.”

“No problem.” Green Lantern shrugged, keeping his eyes on the green bubble of energy in the square and the raging blonde inside it. “J’onn contacted me about the situation, said he thought you might need some help.”

“It’s definitely welcome. You’re a lot better at this containment stuff than I am.”

Smiling, Green Lanterrn waved off the praise. “It’s a lot easier when you’ve got one of these rings. That kid can pound the walls all he wants, but it’s gonna take a lot more than that to get out of there.” He glanced over at Superman. “So… now that we got him, what do we do with him?”

“Get him out of the city, first off.” Superman wiped blood from his lip. "Find a cell to keep him in, maybe one on the space tower. We’ll need a translator too, he was speaking some other kinda…”

Green Lantern interrupted him. “What the… what’s that kid up to now?”

Superman blinked. Where there had only been one kid in the green bubble before, now there were suddenly three.

“He can make copies of himself?”

“That’s right. I remember hearing about that on my way over.” Green Lantern frowned thoughtfully. “They said he made a couple thousand against Blue Devil and the others. So why’s he making just…”

He stopped suddenly, and both heroes gazed in wonder as a swirling inferno of blue light filled the bubble.

“What the…”

The central figure in the bubble slammed the enormous swirling mass of energy into the bubble at point-blank range. The green wall of energy was ripped apart and Superman just barely had enough time to grab Green Lantern and whip over backwards before it hit them.

It was like getting hit by a wall of wind. Or rather, a knife of wind. Or, actually, it was most like getting hit by a wall of knifes made out of wind. In any case, it hurt. Superman barely registered that he was flying backwards and didn’t even feel the building as he smashed into it. He just felt the knives of wind, ripping into him.

He _felt_ them. He felt _pain._

Finally the pain stopped, and he became aware that he was lying in a heap of rubble, Green Lantern just beneath him. Quickly he got up and helped his friend to his feet. “You okay?” He said, glancing over at the square. The kid seemed pretty exhausted himself, he was half-keeled over.

“Been better.” Lantern grunted, heaving upright. Arching an eyebrow at Superman, he added, “What about you? Looks like you had a number done on you.”

Superman glanced backwards to behold a completely shredded cape Some blood was even seeping through the cuts on his back. Barely a scratch, but on Superman… that scratch spoke volumes.

“If he’d done that outside the bubble…”

“Devastation. Total.” Superman nodded. “He might take out a tenth of Metropolis.”

Suddenly Mr. Terrific’s voice came over the com-links. “Superman, you’re fighting one of the dimensional visitors down there.”

“You’re sure? It could just be a coincidence. There’re a few nuclear facilities around here… maybe an accident of some kind…”

“Supes, he’s speaking Japanese.” The voice carried just a touch of dry humor. 

“Seems a bit outside of the power level Batman told us.” Green Lantern frowned. “Superhuman strength he mentioned, but he didn’t say anything about throwing around giant balls of energy or multiplying bodies.”

Superman glanced at him and nodded. “Could be the fugitive they were fighting,” he agreed. “Best call in all other available leaguers on our position, Terrific. We might be in for a bad fight. And try to contact Batman again. Where on earth is he?”

“No idea.”

* * *

 

 _I have no idea how this boy’s powers work_. Batman realized as he watched the black flames dissolve from the boy’s face. _He can generate and control flame, including a certain black variety that can’t be extinguished, save by himself. Apparently he can also generate electricity. If powers are consistent, he should also be able to control it._

 _Also,_ he reminded himself, as the boy rushed at him with an irritated growl, _he has excellent hand-to-hand combat abilities._

Very well. So those were the powers he knew. But he didn’t know how those powers related to each other. Superpowers usually followed some kind of internal logic, like a being that controlled fire also controlling ice, or needing to draw on some kind of external energy. Figuring out this logic could be key to incapacitating an opponent and defeating him.

Batman narrowed his eyes in concentration as he continued to block the boy’s flurry of attacks. For the life of him, he could not think of any tangible link between fire and electricity. His opponent obviously wasn’t drawing it from the surroundings—though it was probably a good thing the generators were out and no longer feeding energy into this room—so where was it coming from?

More importantly, where did that strange skeletal armor fit into the picture? The black flames had come from it—was it perhaps some kind of generator?

In any case, even if he didn’t understand the exact details of how the fighting mechanic worked, he’d already observed some aspects of its requirements. The teenager was continually making little motions with his fingers, movements that seemed to correspond with his fire attacks. Chances were good that if he could somehow immobilize the boy’s hands, the attacks would no longer be viable.

That fit with the boy’s fighting style. He only used the meta powers at long distance, when his hands were not continually occupied with blocking Batman’s attacks.

So. How to disable those hands? He could try cutting them off, but that seemed extreme. He could break the wrists, but from the endurance of this teenager, he couldn’t be certain how practical that would be. He could perhaps handcuff…

Handcuff…

Even if Batman didn’t know what was special about the handcuffs that had been used on the Titans, he knew that these intruders had considered them important. He had two pairs of them, one from Beast Boy, and the other from Raven.

They were over by the railing now. Perfect. One hand darted down to his utility belt, drawing out the strange handcuffs. Already the boy had taken advantage of the opening and managed to rain a few hefty hits on his ribs. His hand was even beginning to glow strangely as Batman clacked the set of handcuffs over it.

Instantly, the hand ceased to glow, and the teenager glanced down at it in shock. Batman used the opportunity to fasten the cuff to the railing, effectively tethering the boy to it. As if realizing the plan, the teen’s hand immediately flashed out in an attempt to shatter the binding, but Batman grabbed the hand and clapped it in the other pair of handcuffs before wrestling it to the railing also. The teenager’s arms were now spread wide across the railing.

Jumping away from the boy’s lashing feet, Batman allowed himself a grim smile of satisfaction. Difficult, but not impossible. With the other two he’d taken downstairs and the four back at the tower, that accounted for seven of their twelve dimensional visitors.

Ignoring the boy’s glare of hatred, Batman turned to check on Robin…

Pain erupted across his back.

* * *

 

Diana was really getting tired of all the traps around this parking lot. Had these warriors no honor? Couldn’t they just fight her honestly, face to face?

Every moment, it seemed, there was some beam flying at her head or some salvo of daggers shooting at her. There had even been a few pit traps which Diana didn’t know HOW they hid.  
She felt pretty sure that the pink-haired girl had some kind of control over the traps, their attacks roughly corresponded to the times she threw daggers off to the side. Most of the time she hung back while the green one kept her occupied, apparently triggering traps whenever she saw a good opportunity.

However, the fact that she no longer seemed to have that option hinted that the duo must be running out of traps. She and the green one seemed to be tag-teaming her, which, while a formidable combination, was at least refreshingly straightforward. 

The pink-haired girl was screaming again. What was it about this time?

Whatever it was, the green boy backed out suddenly. Diana smiled grimly. That made things considerably easier, now that the more formidable warrior was apparently sitting out. The girl was strong, but not much more. Against a trained Amazon princess, she was nothing.

At least, that’s what she thought until the NEW traps started kicking in.

Flying rocks. Falling steel beams. Pit traps. Nets. All while the girl was pounding away as hard as she could, perfectly aware of the traps that Diana could only guess at.  
It was an impressive collection and really quite diabolical, but all it really served to do was stretch things out a bit longer than Diana had expected. She still had her strength and lightning-fast reflexes, and when the girl did get lucky enough to squeeze in a punch, her invulnerability kept it from being a serious problem.

The traps only kept her too busy to hit back. And the second they slowed down, she lashed out with all the frustration that’d been building through the whole fight.

The girl went flying across the parking lot. Unwilling to let her go just yet, Diana flew after her, putting in a few more hits for good measure. After all she’d been through with this girl, she was going to make certain she stayed down.

The girl’s face plowed into the pavement, leaving a shallow ditch in its wake. Her body tumbled over once, twice, than finally ground to a halt. With a groan, the girl slumped to the pavement.

Sighing, Diana stepped forward, only to observe something curious. A small smile was curving across the girl’s face. 

“YOSH!”

Turning, Diana had room for only one thought before the leg plowed into her midsection.

 _When did his skin turn red like that_?

* * *

 

Shikamaru was just about ready to explode with frustration. He was certain, nearly absolutely certain, that Naurto had broken loose some moments ago. After all, there could be only so many things causing all the explosions and alarms he’d been hearing. The fact that hundreds of guards had streamed into his room as soon as the ruckus began showed that it was definitely connected to him in some way. The sounds had been approaching his position too, which made only increased the chances of it being Naruto. 

And then too, there were the roars. Not many people—or things—he knew roared like THAT.

But if Naruto’d broken out, if he’d caused such chaos, and if he’d gotten so CLOSE, where was he now? Had he been captured again? Impossible. Shikamaru had seen himself how hard it was to keep Naruto down. Had he been beaten? Equally impossible. However confident the bald man had been, he found it hard to believe that people with no understanding of chakra would be capable of defeating a Kage level nin, however inventive they were.

Plus, if Naruto had been beaten OR captured, why was there still such a great commotion going on outside? Even through the walls, he could hear people rushing about, shouting, and moving things. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that even though the explosions had stopped, things were far from settled.  
Had he just left, abandoning them?

Absolutely impossible.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes as he thought back. The sounds of fighting had been getting really close, and he’d been able to practically see the fear in the guards. Even he had gotten ready, preparing to leap into action the second he was free.

And then… there’d been a really deafening crash, and everyone had winced. The ground had shook, the rumble had faded into the distance, and after that… silence.

Looking over things, there was only one possible option. Naruto had been forced away by an incredibly powerful opponent, and the base was rushing to take care of things before he returned. They were either mobilizing or preparing to move. In any case, he and the others would doubtless be of primary importance.

As if in confirmation of this theory, the door burst open and two men rushed in with a gurney. Shikamaru took in the straps and gas tanks and immediately realized what they had in mind.

Babbling something incoherent, the man placed a mask over Shikamaru’s mouth.

* * *

_I have GOT to get one of those._

Seriously, a ring? That made you fly, lift things, protected you, and… well, it looked like it could do just about ANYTHING. Seriously. It made his fancy rod, which he’d been so proud of a minute ago, look like a piece of outdated junk.

Of course, it was green. That seriously lessened its awesome factor. If it’d been ORANGE, well, that would be something else. Green… well, green was stuff that weird people like Lee wore.  
Come to think of it, Lee would really like this guy. Green spandex, green glow… even green chakra. Sure, he was a Kumo nin, but they weren’t all bad.

Naruto frowned a moment as something occurred to him. Even if this guy’s powers came largely from his ring, that was pretty obviously chakra that was being shot at him. So why on earth couldn’t he sense it? Was there something wrong with his sage ability? It’d taken him so long to get it attuned—maybe it wasn’t completely functional.

A sudden movement from three miles away behind his back cut the thought off and he dodged left just in time to avoid another rush from red-cape man. Or well, partially avoid. Flying in mid-air, like he was now, gave him more options for dodging, but he still couldn’t escape the man’s sheer speed. At least the invulnerability part of his sage mode was still in full swing.

Still… if he couldn’t tell which one was me, he couldn’t do that speed attack thing, now could he?

Quickly he formed another Rasengan in his palm and aimed it at the incoming red-caped attacker, who saw it and swept away just in time. Naruto didn’t even stop to sigh in relief, instead weaving his fingers in seals even as the chakra in his palm dissipated away. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!

Immediately the air was full of thousands of Naruto’s, each holding one of the awesome rods. 

Naruto grinned at the looks of consternation on his opponents’ faces. _I am a genius!_

Then he realized something. HE had the REAL rod, so he could still fly. All his copies had only… well, copies. So they couldn’t.

Naruto looked around just in time to see two thousand Narutos fall to the earth and disappear in a huge cloud of smoke.

He looked back again just in time to see a large fist aimed at his head.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke cursed inwardly as the man whipped the burning cape from his shoulders and hurled it at him. He’d hoped to catch the man off guard and get the fire to eat through the cape, but his opponent was simply too fast for that sort of thing to work.

As the cape hit him, he defused the flames with his Sharingan, except for the portions needed to eat through the handcuffs. A quick jerk and he was free, once again facing his opponent.

Astonishing, Sasuke reflected, on the difference one’s uniform could make. With the cape, this man had seemed formidable and imposing. Without it, he was simply a man dressed up in gray spandex wearing a large overcomplicated belt. In some ways, he looked almost laughable.

But that would be a mistake. Because as Sasuke could say with complete authority now, this man WAS formidable, cape or no cape. And even without the cowl masking his features, the coldness of his gaze reminded Sasuke what an efficient warrior this man was.

“You show your face at last.” He commented. “I was beginning to wonder if you HAD eyes.” Actually, that was still bugging him. The eyes in the man’s mask had glowed. How did he do that?

“Hm.” Came the response. “I see you don’t need that skeleton thing to create your Ameratsu.”

Sasuke nodded but volunteered no further information. Something about the way the man was studying him made him feel uneasy, as if every one of his secrets was being laid bare.

“Tell me.” Said the man suddenly. “Why did you leave Konoha?”

Again Konoha. “How do you know of that place?”

“Your friends told me about it.”

Impossible that Juugo and Suigetsu had said anything. This man must have found Naruto. “You should have brought them along.” He snorted. “You might have stood a chance.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “I work alone.”

Sasuke raised a suspicious eyebrow. “You have no bonds?” He asked.

“That’s right.”

“Hn.” Though he might have respected that, the statement was too obviously false. “I suppose that is why you came to rescue him, then.” He indicated the comatose Robin off to the side.  “Even though of course he means nothing to you.”

“Leave him out of this.”

“Tch. You are as weak as the others,” snorted Sasuke. “Childishly holding on to your ‘precious people’ because you lack the resolution to pursue true power. Bonds confuse, they weaken, they distract. It is because of your bonds that you are weak, and because of those bonds that you will die.”

The man gave an oddly disturbing smile. “Oh, trust me. That’s not going to happen.”

* * *

 

Superman watched with supreme satisfaction as the blonde teenager went flying away to once again crash into the ground. Quickly he shot down again, he’d been fighting this kid for too long to suppose that he would actually stay down this time.

To his astonishment, though, he actually seemed to be out for the count this time. His crumpled form lay under some scattered debris, and he was not moving. In fact, he lay so still that Superman gently knelt and touched his neck to feel for his pulse, but it seemed that the fall had not killed him, only knocked him senseless.

With a sigh of relief, Superman reached up and touched his ear. “Superman to Watchtower. He’s down. Send a retrieval team to…”

“Supes!” A near scream cut across the square and Superman whirled around just in time to see a familiar orange figure send a whirling orb of energy into Green Lantern’s hastily erected shield.

With a surge of desperation he launched himself into the air, but he was already too late, as the green wall of energy simply shattered under the force of the teenager’s power. GL went flying, and Superman screamed with rage as he shot at the perpetrator. 

The boy turned just enough for Superman to catch sight of his widening pupils.

**WHAM!**

The boy went flying into the ground. Superman shot down again.

**BLAM!**

Now he was flying up into the air. Shooting high above him, Superman brought down both fists on the flying figure.

**SLAM!**

An orange speck went plummeting toward the earth, straight toward the concrete. Superman paused simply to watch.

 **SMASH!**

Smoke rose up in a heaving cloud above a newly formed crater. Cracks spread outward, forming yet another crater in the ground below. Still floating above the city, Superman allowed himself a grim smile. No one’s getting up from that.

And then, unbelievably he caught a glimpse of orange. No, three glimpses of orange. And a shining blue glow in between them.

_No._

Superman hurled himself earthward, but even he could see the energy attack was near completion. Without any knowledge of how it worked or what the boy’s control over it was, there was no way to stop it. Knocking the boy over might only send it in another direction. Trying to kill the two dopplegangers might cause him to loose control and explode the attack outward.

There was no way he could possibly stop the attack. And there was only one way he could possibly negate it.

Straight down he went, shooting right at the whirling vortex of energy. He barely registered the teen’s shocked expression as he thrust himself at the enormous, shredding orb, shielding it from the entire city.

Metropolis was HIS city. He would defend it.

* * *

  
  
“You seriously think you can win?”

“I know I can.” A calculated smirk curved Batman’s face. _Just not in the way you’re thinking._ “I have a few tricks up my sleeve yet.”

“You’re bluffing. Twice now you’ve overcome my Ameratsu.” The teenager remarked, red pupils glaring down. “It’s impressive, but I’m getting tired of this game. Time to bring it to an end”

His hands flew into a flurry of gestures. Batman, from the other side of the room, watched simply waiting to see what would happen. With the night-vision of his cowl gone, he was at a significant disadvantage.

_“Katon Gouryuuka no Jutsu!”_

An enormous dragon of fire shot out from the teenager’s mouth. Burning, coiling, turning water into steam as the sprinklers sprayed uselessly against it, it flew out…  
…and crashed into the ceiling. Batman narrowed his eyes. Something that big, and he doesn’t even aim it correctly? Impossible. But why did he want to destroy the ceiling? To get rid of the sprinklers? Equally unlikely.

At least now he could see again. The teenager was leaning over, obviously exhausted, but Batman made no move to attack, instead looking up into the sky, trying to determine what the boy had been aiming for. Distantly he noted that there were some storm clouds gathering.

_Wait._

_Storm clouds?_

* * *

  
_This… this is impossible!_

That was really the only thing Diana had the time to think. Just as well, as it also happened to be the only thing that accurately described the sheer whirlwind of fists and feet flying at her. The boy moved with superhuman speed, almost on a par with Flash. His linear style was the only reason she managed to block ANY of the hits he was sending at her.

Not that any of them were actually doing anything. She was still invincible, after all. The boy might just as well be pounding solid marble. It was just incredibly humiliating for her to get hit so much.

How did Bruce not mention this boy’s speed? She thought furiously. The next time I see him, I’m going to kill that man!

Suddenly her opponent disappeared, and the next second she was being hit from beneath. “Konoha Senpuu!” She heard someone scream as another kick, and then another, propelled her into the air. 

Air?

Diana put on a burst of speed upwards, away from the boy and his unearthly speed. The next two blows barely connected, and after that she was free and away. She enjoyed the look of astonishment on the boy’s face for a moment before plunging back down at him.

The boy was fast, but not fast enough to dodge in mid-air, and definitely not fast enough to avoid hitting the ground at full speed. The pavement cracked under the impact and left a minor crater. 

Picking herself up, Diana regarded the boy. He looked to be pretty out of it, but she got out her lasso just in case. A glance to the left assured her that the fat teenager was still comatose, and she KNEW that that pink-haired girl…

A fist collided with her jaw before she could finish the thought. Her lasso went flying away, and she felt the ground shoot out from under her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of pink. Impossible! Before she could stop herself, she smashed through something and tumbled into a patch of grey, gooey… something.

She looked down. Wet concrete. She looked up. A concrete truck. With a very sizeable hole in it. She looked at herself. Wet Concrete… all over her.

Steaming with wrath, she looked up as her new opponent appeared at the side of the pit. “You will pay for this indignity.” She rasped.

The girl glared back with equal venom and snapped out something unintelligible.

As they dashed at each other, Diana failed to recognize two things. One, that running in concrete like this slowed her down noticeably. Two, that her opponent was lightly skimming over the surface of it and had no such problems.

Three, that the green-clad teen had awoken and was eyeing the lasso she’d dropped with keen interest.

* * *

 

  
Hinata had finally found Ketler Park, after several hours of wandering and two pairs of different directions from three different people. Though she still had no idea how to use the odd device Lois-san had given her, she had found a nice clean bench and had obediently waited there.

Now that things had calmed down a bit, Hinata had a chance to realize exactly how strange things had become. In the past 24 hours, she’d gone to fight a fugitive, failed miserably, woken up in a strange location, been taken in by a strange woman, and now was sitting in the park of a strange city.

Where was this place? When she’d awoken in the hospital she’d thought she was in an allied village but… this didn’t look like any of the villages she’d heard of. And so much of what was here was unfamiliar—the buildings, the streets, the… things that raced up and down them. 

Where was she? Where was Lois-san? And where were her friends?

“You seem lost.”

Hinata glanced up, startled, to see a rather grim-looking man approaching the park bench. He was clad from head to foot in a long green trenchcoat, but his hair was a startling shade of red with a single streak of white. “I… I’m sorry…” she stammered. “I… I didn’t mean…”

“There is nothing wrong with being lost.” The man consoled her. “Or rather, there is, but the fault is yours only if you do not seek to find yourself again. Do you know where you are supposed to be?”

“I… Lois-san told me to wait here…”

The man closed his eyes. “But is this where you are supposed to be?”

Hinata stared at the odd man. What was he saying?

“Perhaps I should explain.” The man sighed, opening his eyes suddenly to reveal a disturbing shade of green. “You are far from home, are you not? You could have gone anywhere. So why are you here, in particular?”

“Lois-san…”

“Ms. Lane told you to wait here. I understand that.” Hinata blinked at the man’s interruption. How did he know Lois-san? “But have you asked yourself why Ms. Lane was the one to find you? Why Ms. Lane should bring you here, to Metropolis, at this precise moment?”

“Ummm… n-no… Why?”

“Because.” The man’s eyes burned into her as he leaned forward. “This is where you were supposed to be. It was important that you come to Metropolis for this moment. It was important that you wait here, in this park, so I might speak with you.”

Hinata could think of little to say beyond the obvious. “Why?”

“So that you know what to expect. So that you know that more is to come. So that you and your friends may be prepared for the crisis.”

“Crisis?” Hinata blinked. Than something else, more important, in the man’s words occurred to her. “F-f-friends? My friends are here? You mean… they came here too? Where are they?”

The man shrugged. “Some are close and some are far. They are all alive, but they are all confused. Like you, they do not know why they are where they are. Or more appropriately, where they ought to be.”

“Please.” Hinata almost fell to her knees. “Do you know where my friends are? Can you take me to them? I need to… I need to…”

“Yes, Hyuuga Hinata, there is much you need to do.” Hinata glanced up in surprise at the man’s grim face. “Much to do that even you do not yet know. But for now, there is a battle that you must stop. A confusion you must clear up. A connection you must make.”

The man began to move away. “Where are you supposed to be, Hyuuga Hinata?”

“I… I don’t know…” Getting slowly to her feet, Hinata blinked in confusion at the man. “Please, I’m sorry, but I just don’t… I don’t understand what you’re… What do you want me to do?”

“For now? I want you to see, Hyuuga Hinata.” The man gave her one last burning glance. “I want you open your eyes… and see.”

The man was gone. 

Hinata blinked for a moment at the patch of empty ground where he had been a moment ago. Then suddenly, she understood his last words and brought up her fingers in a familiar gesture.

_“Byakugan!”_

* * *

 

Pain. Ripping, burning pain, shredding away at his suit, his skin, his untouched flesh, his unbreakable bone, even. Blinding light, whirling blue. Explosions of smoke on the left, and right. Two yellow-slitted eyes fading to blue…  
Darkness.

 

* * *

 

Punch. Kick. Block. Jump. Legs heavy. Pink hair shooting by, sudden pain in chest. Swing. Air. Whip around to face her. Too slow, but don’t fly. Finish this now. Finish this fairly. Punch, jab, knee. Satisfying crunch. Follow up, swing. Miss. Twirl around. Punch, jab. Whoosh of air underneath. Punch, kic…  
Legs stuck. Look.  
Rope.

 

* * *

 

Leap. Floor flying underneath, turning stark white in the glow. Cape. Grab. Familiar synthetic fabric against your skin. Maniacal laughter behind you. Railing. No further. Ditch behind. Turn. Look up. Lightning growing. Dragon? No. Impossible. Back up against railing. Cold metal against your skin.  
Lightning flashing out. From all angles. Why not struck? More power? How much needed?  
Large pulse! Coming out, coming down! Leap-flip-over-railing-duck-in-ditch-cover-with…  
Too slow.

 

* * *

 

“Did… what just happened?” Mr. Terrific was poking at the screen anxiously. “Who won? Computer, do we have anything on thermal readouts? Gamma radiation? Energy signatures? Anything?”  
“Not necessary.” J’onn shook his head, a slightly glazed look in his eyes. “The battle is over.”

 

* * *

 

“Ooooohhhhh….” Superman sat up, holding his head in both hands. “I hope I don’t have to do that again.”

Smoke clouded the entire battlefield, obscuring all but the small pile where Superman lay, thrown there by the last explosion. With pain shooting all across his body, he waited for a few moments, gasping in great lungfulls of air, before finally staggering upright, clutching his chest. He was bare, bruised, and bloody… but he was alive.

Going to need a new suit after this. He thought ruefully to himself as he lurched forward. His cape was gone, parts of the back had gotten ripped off, and his entire chest was a ass of bloodied cuts—however shallow most of them were.

Finally reaching the end of the trail of rubble, he stared down at his foe where he lay fallen, face-over, in the cracked pavement. Cautiously, remembering another ‘fallen’ version, he nudged the body over, eliciting a groan.

Blonde hair. Blue eyes cracked half-open. Bruised and bloody face with three odd scars running on each side.

He’s just a kid! Superman thought, in spite of himself. Just like the other ones! 

The boy’s half-opened eyes widened slightly, and Superman realized that the teenager was not quite unconscious. Quickly he whipped back his arm, remembering all that this kid could do in a second and all it took to keep him down…

“Juuho Shoshiken!!”

A screaming young woman shot out of nowhere and smashed him with two fists of glowing blue energy. Superman whipped away, astonished. Another?

Perhaps. But this one could speak English.

“I won’t let you harm Naruto-kun!”

* * *

 

Stepping back, Sakura gaped in astonishment as the once-powerful warrior before her collapsed backwards, groaning. Did I finally get to her? She wasn’t showing signs of fatigue, but… that last hit really did seem to do it...

She glanced over at Lee, who looked just as surprised as her. “Did you… ah…”

“No, Sakura –san.” Lee shook his head, perfectly serious. “I did nothing.”

“Huh. Wonder what happened.” Sakura stared at the now-comatose woman at her feet. “Maybe her jutsu has a time limit or something. Good thing you got her hands and feet tangled in the rope like that, though, it held her in place long enough for me to punch her a good one.”

“Thank you Sakura-san. But what do we do with her now?”

Sakura spoke slowly, as if only thinking things out now. “She was looking for us particularly, so chances are she’s from the same village as that caped man. Which means she might know where Neji is, or at least who’s keeping him prisoner.”

“But she can’t talk properly.” Lee eyed the woman worriedly. “Do you suppose she is deranged, Sakura-san? That would explain the outfit…”

“That’s enough Lee,” snapped Sakura, strangely annoyed. Inwardly it occurred to her that Lee was nobody to go talking about weird outfits and the deranged people who wore them. “Even if we can’t communicate with her she’s still a useful hostage. We’ll just need to make sure she’s tied up enough so she doesn’t try anything again.”

“Yosh!” Lee saluted. “I shall tie her up thirty times, and if I cannot do that, I will…”

“No, I’ll do that. You go check on Chouji,” ordered Sakura, with a little more force than was perhaps necessary. As Lee sped off, she glanced down with a smile at the fallen woman.

“Got you, night hawk.”

* * *

 

Only the sight of his enemy’s prone form kept Sasuke from exploding. 

What was wrong with this world? His wonderful lightning jutsu had taken nearly twice as long to form as it usually did, and when it had he found it incredibly difficult to control. He should have been able to tell it to go right over or even right through that metal railing the man had leapt behind, and yet half the lightning energy had gotten yanked away from him into that one railing.

No matter, though. The other half, it seemed, had been enough to shock his enemy senseless. Not even he could dodge the lightning. Why he’d stopped to grab the cape and wrap it around himself, Sasuke had no idea.

He gave the prone form a little kick and, receiving no reaction, turned around once again to face the room. His other hostages were doubtless gone. Suigetsu and Juugo might still be in the base, though, and they still had the one—no, two now…

Sasuke stopped and glanced around the room. Where was the other hostage, anyway? He couldn’t have run away, Sasuke had placed a genjutsu on him and placed him over by…

The railing. In the ditch. Where the man was. The man who was stirring and reaching up to his ear.

“Batman to Watchtower requesting emergency teleport stat!”

And Sasuke stared in blind fury as his two remaining hostages dissolved into blue light.

* * *

  
  
“What the…” Superman stared at the image of feminine fury in front of him.

“Stay away!” She screamed, raising her hands. “Not one step closer! I’ll kill you if you try to hurt Naruto-kun!”

“You’re defending him?”

“Stay away!” 

Sighing, Superman wondered if this was worth the time. Granted, she might be as powerful as the teenager had been, and goodness knew they didn’t need MORE wreckage downtown, but she might be more on the level of Batman’s attackers. In either case, while she held him off, that incredibly dangerous teenager grew steadily closer to consciousness.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t really…”

“Hinata? Hinata!”

The terrifyingly familiar voice jolted Superman out of the battle as Lois Lane jogged over the pockmarked terrain. “Hinata, what are you…”

“Lois, stay back!” Superman called out. “If she’s with the boy, there’s no telling what…”

Lois sent one of her death-glares at him. “Don’t be ridiculous, you. This is Hinata, I know her.”

Superman blinked.

“You… what?”

“I met this girl in Jump City! Took her on because of some story she has about hunting down a fugitive person, but she’s a real sweetheart, she’s not going to hurt me or anyone!”

“Lois-san?” The girl was lowering her hands, apparently as confused as Superman. “What’s going on?”

“You’re asking me? What are you doing here and not at the park?”

A sudden beeping in Superman’s ear kept him from hearing the rest. “Supes! Breaking news, Batman just appeared on the teleport platform, seriously beat up! He says he ran into that fugitive guy in Jump City.”

“So who’s this guy I’m fighting?” asked Superman. He had a terrible sinking feeling.

“I dunno… one of the others, I guess. The kid downstairs, the one who can see through walls, called him Naruto, so apparently he recognizes him.”

Superman groaned. _It just figures._

“Look, Superman,” Lois was back. “I know this girl, she’s fine. Her name’s Hyuuga Hinata, and she comes from this weird place called…”

“Konoha.” Superman finished for her wearily.

Lois blinked. “You know?”

“Hinata.” Ignoring Lois for the moment, Superman called out to the girl. “I need you to come with me to the Metro Tower.”

“Stay away!”

“Hinata, girl, c’mon.” Lois pleaded. “This is Superman. You can trust him.”

The suspicious look in the girl’s eyes wavered. “This is… Superman-san?”

“I’m sorry for fighting your friend,” apologized Superman. “I thought he was attacking the city. If you come with me, we can give him proper medical care and patch him up. You can speak to some of your friends there too.”

The girl blinked. “My… friends? You know where they are?”

“They’re at the tower. We’ve been taking care of them.” Superman could almost FEEL Lois’ suspicious look. “They’re all fine, but we need you down there so we can figure out what’s going on.”

Hinata thought. Superman waited. Lois glared.

“Can Lois-san come too?”

She’s gonna kill me… “Yes, Lois-san can come too.”

“Alright.” The girl lowered her arms. “I’ll come along.”

Despite the impending Lois-storm, Superman just barely suppressed a sigh of relief.

_Finally, maybe we can get some answers._

 


	8. Consolidation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League, now with a clearer picture of the situation, helps to gather the ninjas together, hoping for some answers. But more questions are popping up already...

 

“No, I don’t know.” Hatake Kakashi tugged at his robes irritably, trying to smooth them out. “It was a bigger teleportation than I’ve ever done before. It nearly killed me.”

A frown spread across the Raikage’s dark features. “Was it necessary to make it so large?”

Kakashi shrugged. “Sasuke was moving awfully fast, and his team was a good distance behind him. If either of them had been left afterwards they would have killed us all, I figured taking them all out was the best option.”

“Taking them all, though? The Konoha team? Including Naruto? Was that necessary, Hokage?” Gaara’s gaze was deadly.

“Look, what’s the big deal?” cut in the Tsuchikage irritably. “Konoha took out Sasuke, as it promised, and Madara has lost four of his best soldiers. We knew the mission would be dangerous, I have to imagine that the team you sent in knew they might not all come back. This is war. Casualties happen. Get over it, brat. As for the Kyuubi, well…” he shrugged, “…bad as it is that we’ve lost a jinchuuriki this early in the fight, at least he’s out of Madarra’s clutches now. I doubt his ‘Moons Eye Plan’ will even work with that kid gone.”

Gaara’s eyes flickered. “Naruto was a friend of mine.”

“You have friends?” The Tsuchikage snorted, folding his stubby little arms. “That’s a weakness in a Kage. Friends can be used against you, betray you, fail you. Your affection for your friends can cause you to overlook what’s best for the village as a whole.”

On the other side of the table, a tall, fire-haired woman rolled her eyes. “Look, Onoki, just because YOU’RE a heartless son of a…”

“Manners, Mizukage,” sneered the Iwa leader. “We ARE at a diplomatic summit, are we not? I am simply giving the boy some helpful advice.”

“Helpful or not, the point remains that Naruto WAS a friend of mine, and I cannot take his death so lightly.” Gaara glared.

“He’s not dead.”

Three heads swiveled to look at the one-eyed Copycat nin. “What do you mean?”

“I said the jutsu sent things to another dimension, but I never said it killed them.” Kakashi held up a finger. “To be honest, I’m not sure what it DOES do to them, aside from making them disappear, but I don’t think it inherently destroys them.”

“Then what makes you think they’re alive?”

“Naruto has a talent for not dying.” Kakashi shrugged. 

Gaara blinked a few times. “Alright.” He said finally. “So… what next?”

“Konoha is working on a way to find and recover Naruto and the others.” Kakashi responded. “So far we haven’t come up with anything, but we’ll keep working at it.”

“Let me know if you need Suna’s help.”

“In the meantime, we should strike at Madara now, while is still reeling from this loss,” urged the Tsuchikage. “We cannot allow him to build up his forces.”

The Mizukage inclined her head. ““The loss of Sasuke and his team will be a critical blow to him, it would be good if we could capitalize on it.”

“I agree as well,” nodded the Raikage, standing to his feet. “It’s settled then, we will attack as soon as our forces are ready. Our intel team has already located their base, we will send them out again to verify that Madarra is there, but otherwise, all is in readiness. Konoha, prepare your ninjas also, we must have all our resources.” Glancing around the room, he gave one short final nod. “Very well then. Good day, gentlemen.”

Kakashi remained seated at the long table as the other Kages filed out. Studying the door, he remarked, “Was it just me, or were most of them not at all sorry to hear that we had lost 12 ninjas, including 6 clan heads, 2 jounins, and 1 jinchuuriki?”

“Probably not,” grunted Shikaku, standing at the Hokage’s elbow. “They’re allied now, but they’ve got an eye to the future, just like anyone.”

Kakashi sunk lower in his chair. “That’s what I thought.”

“Hokage-sama…” Shikaku hesitated as Kakashi glanced sharply up. “Perhaps… no, never mind, not worth mentioning. It’s nothing.”

“Whenever you use my formal title, it means it’s more than nothing. What is it?”

Hesitating only a moment longer, Shikaku asked, “Raikage had a good point. It wasn’t necessary to teleport such a large area, was it?”

“No.” Kakashi glanced down. “I can teleport out flying missiles so long as I focus properly. The warp shouldn’t have been so big.”

“Then why…”

“I don’t know,” shrugged Kakashi. “I honestly don’t know. Actually, I meant to only get Sasuke—I figured Naruto could handle the others—but something just… took over.” Frowning, he added, “It’s not right, either. For such a large zone, and with me so worn out already…” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have had the reserves to do that. I would have died, and it still wouldn’t have worked.”

“That’s… curious.” Shikaku mused.

“It’s disturbing is what it is.” Kakashi shook his head. “Sorry, Shikaku, but I really don’t know what happened to Shikamaru and the others.” He gave a tired smile. “But for what it’s worth, what I said earlier was true. Naruto has a knack for not dying, and he tends to take others with him. So long as they all stick together, they should be fine.”

* * *

 

“You kept a bunch of kids imprisoned in the tower without any kind of trial or hearing?”

“Now Lois, it’s not like that…”

“Right, because you thought it was some super-dangerous threat to the universe and you didn’t actually listen to what they were saying.”

“Lois, if you’d heard the things they did say…”

“I talked to that one Hinata kid. She seemed reasonable enough. Didn’t you at least think of giving out some kind of press statement? If you honestly thought there was some kind of invasion going on, you should have told the people about it. Wasn’t that the whole point of Let’s-get-closer-to-the-people-by-building-a-tower-on-Earth deal?”

“We were planning to hold a press conference as soon as…”

“As soon as what? As soon as you caught the other kids to lock them up in your little white room also? Or were you going to keep that secret too and just let them molder away down here while you interrogated them to pieces? Do you know what the humans rights people would do if they found out about this whole deal? They’d start the whole thing with Cadmus over again, that’s what they’d do!”

“But we were working with the government this…”

“Oh, that makes me feel SO much better…”

Mr. Terrific and J’onn impassively regarded the raging reporter and the cowering man of steel on the floor below. “Supes does realize there’s no way she’s actually going to release this information, right?”

“I sincerely doubt it.” J’onn shook his head.

“Oh c’mon! Half the world knows Lois has got a thing for Supes, there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that she’d actually release something that’d open him to attack.”

“Lois Lane is a capable reporter with a high regard for the people’s right to know.”

Mr. Terrific rolled his eyes. “J’onn…”

“Superman does not appear to be aware of the magnitude of her feelings.” J’onn interrupted. “And even if he were, his own doubts about our actions make him an easy target in this matter. So no, Superman is not aware that her threats are baseless.” 

“Hm.” Eying the irate woman, Mr. Terrific let out an unexpected chuckle. “She knows that too, doesn’t she?”

“I believe so. She seems to enjoy making him squirm.” There was just a tinge of amusement in the Martian’s voice.

“Heh.”

Lois’ words once again reached an audible level. “This sort of thing… why this sort of thing could just…”

“Lois, please…”

“And where’s Bru—Batman, anyway? He started this whole mess, did he? I’ve got a few choice words to put to that brooding billionaire!”

“The medical ward. But Lois…”

“Fine!” She stamped away, then turned around. “I’ll give you 24 hours, and if those kids aren’t out of here free and happy in that time, I’m calling White and getting this plastered all over the front page! I mean it too!” She called back the last bit as she stalked out the door and slammed it behind her.

Letting out a long sigh, Superman passed a hand over his face. He turned around with a groan, suddenly catching sight of the two somber technicians.

“What?” he asked, annoyed.

* * *

 

“Now!” Hawkgirl screamed, swooping downwards towards the shattered tower below. “Red Tornado! Captain Atom! Cover me!” She touched her ear. “Aquaman, move in! Get in from the waterways! Flash…”

“Waaaay ahead of you.” Came the response as a red streak appeared over the water.

From air, land, and sea, the Leaguers swept upon the now-shattered Titan’s Tower. After Batman had regained consciousness, he’d told them the whole story and urged for an immediate strike on the tower. Despite all the confusion going on about Superman’s battle, J’onn had quickly formed a team and sent them to the tower.

Fast as it had been, apparently it had not been fast enough. “Control room clear.” Hawkgirl noted, disappointment evident in her voice.

“Majority of top levels ascertained to be empty.” Red Tornado intoned.

“Got the stunned elemental, but the rest of the basement is empty.” Aquaman grunted.

“So’s the rest of the tower.” Flash appeared at her elbow. “Looks like they cleared out already.”

Shayera clenched her mace in frustration. “Damnit…” she muttered. “Alright, form a sweep team. Spread out to find any signs of where they are. If you find them, do not engage, call in the others for backup.”

“Vixen here.” Another voice crackled through the communicator. “I’ve picked up the girls from the point Batman told us about. Bringing them back to the Metro Tower.”

“Good.” Hawkgirl sighed as she looked about. “Maybe they can make sense of this.”

* * *

 

“So, let’s see if we have this right.” Mr. Terrific folded his arms across the chest. “The city square attacker…”

“Naruto.” Superman quietly amended.

“Naruto.” Mr Terrific shrugged. “…is apparently NOT the fugitive we were looking for, just an insanely powerful ninja. The actual fugitive…”

“Uchiha Sasuke.” Batman had had to be largely wheeled in on a stretcher, but he had insisted on being present. 

“Sasuke.” Mr. Terrific nodded, somewhat impatiently. “…landed in Jump City, where he took out the Titans, presumably to set up base in their tower. Apparently the girl…”

“Hinata.” Also from Superman.

Mr. Terrific bit his lip. “…Hinata, despite being part of the original group, also landed there somehow, and was left behind by the docks, where Lois found her.”

“I tell you, I checked Jump City. Including the docks.,” Green Lantern, his arm in a cast and his face in several bandages, argued. “There wasn’t anything there.”

Mr. Terrific shrugged. “These are ninjas.”

“Ninjas? Don’t make me laugh.” Batman snorted. “Incredibly flamboyant with overpowered attacks? They can’t begin to understand stealth.”

“They seem to have been stealthy enough to evade Green Lantern.” J’onn pointed out.

“Of course they were.” Batman growled. “Green Lantern glows bright neon green. He couldn’t sneak up on a barn.”

John’s eyes narrowed. “Some of us have powers that DON’T involve hiding in the dark, Bats.”

“In any case.” Mr. Terrific continued, waving the argument down. “From what she tells us, there were twelve initial attackers, plus the rival… Naruto, who showed up later. They were up against the fugi… Sasuke’s team, who numbered four. That’s seventeen. If we’re assuming the whole group teleported here, then we have six of them here, with another three known to be in Gotham, and three of the fugitives in Jump City. That brings us to twelve, so we have five left to account for, including one of the fugitives.” He drew a deep breath. “Did I forget anything?”

“One of their number had a dog.” J’onn pointed out.

“One can fly. Or at least crash.” Green Lantern winced.

“One of them speaks English.” Batman’s eyes narrowed. “Although she cannot explain how.”

“And none of them seem to know how they got here or what happened.” Superman sighed.

A heavy silence descended over the tower as they all pondered the situation. Suddenly, J’onn’s eyes glazed over and he spoke up. “Vixen has just returned with the remaining Titans.”

Superman raised his head. “Status?”

“Unharmed. The girl Raven seems to be slowly regaining consciousness, but is being taken to the medical bay anyway. Starfire is accompanying her to receive treatment for her ribs.”

“What about the other Titans?”

J’onn blinked as he focused on the others. “Cyborg is still charging, but is now cognizant and is compiling an account of the battle at the tower. Beast Boy apparently still cannot use his powers, but is receiving standard medical care for his… fractures. Robin remains unconscious.”

“Does Vixen know how the assault on the tower went?” Batman’s frown bespoke his worries.

“They reported in a minute ago.” Mr. Terrific was consulting the console in front of him. “Looks like they caught the elemental you mentioned, but the other two were gone. They’re conducting a sweep to try and find them.”

Batman swore quietly.

“So we’ve got six—seven—super powered kids here and eleven more running around, three of which are confirmed hostiles.” Green Lantern didn’t look too happy either. “So. What’re we going to do about it?”

Mr. Terrific shrugged. “Given how quickly the girl—Hinata—found this Naruto, I’d say our best chance is to get the kids to help us find the others. They seem to know how to seek each other out.”

“They won’t do that,” frowned Green Lantern. “Even if this one girl seems to trust us, the rest sure don’t. No way they’ll help us find their friends. Not unless we can convince them we mean well.”

Sighing, Superman stood to his feet. “We can at least ask.”

* * *

 

“Neji-ni-san, please remain calm!” Hinata vainly tried to press her intense cousin back into his chair. “Please! The people here are willing to help us, there’s no reason to start breaking out of here.”

“If we did intend to escape, this would be the ideal time to accomplish it,” intoned Shino from his chair. They had all been released from their beds and brought into a room with a table, where they were all now sitting. “Why? We have been released from our restraints and brought into an area with relatively little supervision. The base seems to be in a state of confusion and my allies can detect no significant countermeasures. This seems like a very good time to make our escape from this facility.”

“But Shino-san, I told you! These are good people, they can help us!”

Ino snorted. “Look, Hinata, no offense, but you tend to think that of everyone.”

“They helped Naruto-kun.”

“After beating him up.” Neji eyed her ferociously. “I saw the whole battle between Naruto and that one man. The fact that they brought him to their medical bay here means nothing.” Turning suddenly, he added: “Sai, would you stop that? I keep telling you, we’re not in a genjutsu.”

Sai did not respond, but simply wove his fingers into a seal and muttered “Kai!”

“If he was in a genjutsu, though, that would mean you might very well simply be part of it.” Shino seemed to be amused at the spectacle. “Your Byakugan might not actually exist, hence he cannot rely on it in the same way he cannot rely on my bugs.”

Neji rolled his eyes. “But if he was in a genjutsu, he’d also have gotten out by NOW simply through overuse of chakra. He’s been doing that for hours.”

Sai paused at this comment, then grabbed a pencil.

“Wait, DON’T…!” 

Too late. The former ROOT nin had stabbed himself through the hand with the pencil, and was staring at it pensively. “Curious.” He mused. “Physical pain has no effect either.”

“That’s because we’re not in a genjutsu, Sai.”

“Perhaps. Unless we’re in an unusually strong one that incorporates pain.”

“To return to the matter at hand, perhaps Hinata would care to explain why she trusts these people so much?” Shino turned to his teammate, an inquisitive eyebrow raised. “After all, they have imprisoned four of us and do not appear to be from any of our allied villages.”

“That’s just it.” Hinata nodded. “They’re not. They’ve never heard of any of us before.”

Neji frowned. “Impossible. The green man knew my name.”

“Of course he did. He is able to read minds,” commented Sai. “He spoke in my head earlier… I believe he is using a technique similar to the Yamanaka clan.”

“Oh, c’mon!” Ino crossed her arms. “Nobody in my family has green skin.”

Shino rubbed his chin in thought. “It would explain how they would know our names and allegiance but not other crucial details.”

“True,” admitted Neji reluctantly. “Even though they knew I was a Hyuuga, they didn’t seem to know what I could do. Certainly they didn’t understand the Byakugan, or they would have extracted it.”

Hinata nodded again. “Exactly. They’ve never heard of Hyuuga, or Byakugan, or Jyuuken before. They know we’re from Konoha, but not what Konoha is. I don’t even think they know about the Land of Fire.” Gaining courage from Sai’s contemplative nod, she continued. “We’re complete strangers to them. It’s like we’re in a whole another world.”

“How can that be possible?” Neji nearly exploded. 

“Genjutsu.”

“Shut up, Sai.”

Shino was thinking again. “If this is another world, then things begin to make sense. These men here are all obviously S-level, yet I have never heard of any of them before.”

“The cities are different too—both this one and the one I was captured in. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like them.” Neji suddenly frowned. “But if they’re not enemies, why did they capture us?”

“Actually, that is the easiest part to understand.” Shino adjusted his glasses. “Given that these men have no knowledge of us or our village, we are intruders, agents of an unknown force. Willingly or not, we have trespassed on their territory and endangered their village’s security.” He glanced at Neji. “Were we to discover ninjas from an unknown village within Konoha, we doubtless would have acted in a similar manner.”

Sai gave one of his false smiles. “Well, perhaps not  _very_ similar….”

“They might get around to that part,” pointed out Ino. “If they still think we’re enemies, they might start… interrogating pretty soon. Escape still sounds good to me.”

“Perhaps. But it seems strange that they have not begun more intensive measures already.” Shino frowned. “And, if Hinata is correct that they have no knowledge of Konoha, our behavior here may mean the difference between an alliance and a war.”

“It could also mean the difference between life and death.” Sai’s smile was still plastered across his face. “They do not have to dislike our village to dislike us. They might view this as a prime opportunity to add to their village’s jutsus. Or bloodlines,” he added, looking at Neji, Hinata, and Ino rather pointedly.

This time Neji shook his head. “If it was bloodlines they were after, they would have begun extraction already. And as to jutsus…” he paused for a moment. “…I don’t think they can use them.”

“What?”

“Impossible.”

Shino’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Explain.”

“When I was in the city with Sakura and the others, I used my Byakugan.” Neji clarified. “And here in this facility, I used it again. It appears most people here cannot use chakra.”

“Seriously?” Ino’s mouth was open. 

“Interesting. It certainly supports the thesis that we are no longer in the vicinity of the elemental nations.”

“But how is that even possible?”

“Gen-“

“Shut UP, Sai!”

“Still.” Neji frowned. “If one of them already has something close to the Yamanaka bloodline, they may be able to use them somehow. And even if they cannot use chakra, they may try to replicate it—experiments, surgeries…” he shook his head. “The less time we spend here, the better.”

Sai inclined his head in agreement. “They may not be hostile, but that does not mean they are trustworthy. They may wish us to impress us into their own forces, or learn how to use our powers, or learn where Konoha is so they may attack it. At all costs, we must preserve village secrets, and we cannot do that so long as we are in their power.”

“In addition, we must endeavor to return to Konoha. Why? Our protracted absence will doubtless cause unrest and perhaps conflict, especially given the relative importance of certain members in our party. Also, every ninja will be needed in the coming war. Our inability to help may prove fatal.” Shino adjusted his sunglasses.

“We can’t leave right away,” interjected Neji, shaking his head. “We need to get our bearings to know how to get to Konoha, and at the very least, we must find Sakura and the others before returning.”

“In that matter, we can help you.” All the ninjas turned at the sound of the new voice. In the door stood the tall green man, accompanied by a blonde archer in a green suit, who winked at the teenagers. “We also wish to find your comrades and clear up this misunderstanding as soon as possible. Working together, we have a much better chance of doing so as soon as possible.”

* * *

 

Sasuke glanced out the window as a winged shape flitted across the sky. Shaking his head irritably, he returned his attention to the paper on the table before him. Flying ninjas?

Moments after the strange caped man had disappeared, Sasuke had left himself. With his hostages gone and his cover blown, flight had been the only option. Suigetsu and Juugo were either incapacitated or dead, trying to take them with him would have been a waste of time.

He had taken up refuge in a deserted garage some sixty miles from the bay. Though he didn’t pretend to understand what the huge metal devices inside were for, in one of them he had found a very obvious map, which he was now consulting.

As he had suspected, the map showed nothing familiar to him. As he had NOT suspected, the writing on it was entirely unintelligible. If anything, it looked like the mechanical language the computers had been spitting out. Sasuke had not considered whether this universe would speak a different language than his own—after all, all his opponents thus far had been perfectly intelligible—but this map, coupled with the computers and several the signs he had seen on the way here, led him to suspect that this was the case.

That brought up several disturbing issues. For one, he would have no way to blend in, his speech alone would give him away immediately. For two, it would make torture and interrogation significantly more difficult. For three… well, it presently made his map rather worthless.

He supposed the names of the cities wouldn’t have meant much to him anyway, still it would have been useful to understand the key to the map and any information it contained. As it was, he could only determine the relative size of the cities.

Casting another glance out the window, Sasuke thought things over. North and South, at least, would still be the same. He could try to determine his present location by matching the symbols at the city entrance to those on the map, and head straight for the nearest city. For a moment he wondered if it would be better to hide in the country, where he had less chance of standing out, but he dismissed the notion quickly. Cities meant ready food and shelter, both things he needed easy access to in order to focus on his former sensei’s jutsu. So long as he did not talk much, people would not notice the difference in his speech.

However… Sasuke frowned as he glanced down at his now-torn shirt and cloak… he had noticed on the way over that his clothing was far from normal. If he wanted to blend in, he would need something different.

His eyes traveled toward a long dark trenchcoat hanging on the wall.

* * *

 

Pain.

Naruto’s body hurt all over. He could practically feel the broken bones in his back shifting, and his arm, legs, fingers, and toes felt afire. Dimly, he tried to swim through the fog of pain and weariness toward consciousness, telling himself that he needed to get up, he needed to fight… But it was so comfortable in this bed.

Wait. Bed? Comfortable? 

Naruto’s eyes shot open. His last bed had definitely NOT been comfortable. For that matter, the last room he’d been kept in looked nothing like this room either. Oh, sure, it was still white, but the walls were different, the door was different, the thousands of medical… things surrounding him were different. And the lack of restraints on his arms was really different.

The biggest difference, though, was the pale-eyed girl who slowly came into focus in front of him.

“Hi-na-ta?” his voice came out as a croak. “What happen’d? Ar’you okay?”

Her face collapsed in relief at his words. “Y-yes, Naruto-kun.” She smiled. “We’re fine. We’re safe.” She stepped away a bit, allowing him to look around the room. “Superman took you to the hospital here.”

“Superman?” The name sounded vaguely familiar, but that was quickly forgotten at the sight of something much more important. “Guys!”

“Naruto-san.” Shino gave a short grave nod. He, Ino, Sai, and Neji were all clustered at the foot of the bed, next to a tall dark man with a black “T” painted on his head. They seemed to be intentionally avoiding the other side of the room, which contained several doctors and a heavily bandaged man half-sitting, half-lying on a stretcher. 

Though puzzled as to why his friends were all acting so strange, Naruto felt a growing ecstasy. His friends were back! They were all okay! Okay, safe, and apparently no longer in the hands of creepy bald-dude! They weren’t even being held prisoners! Aw, man, this was AWESOME! He’d have to meet this Superman guy and…

Wait. Superman? As in the guy who…

“Ah!” Naruto tried to leap upright but fell back, wincing.

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata darted forward again, closely followed by the others. The doctors tried to get in too, to fiddle with the different tubes feeding into Naruto’s body, but he swatted at them. 

“Get away, get away!” He shouted. “Not a step closer!”

“Naruto-kun, calm down!” Hinata grabbed his arm. “They’re friends! They’re trying to help you! Please, calm down!”

“Calm down? They’re working with that guy with the cape! We gotta hurry or they’ll…”

“Please, listen to your friend.” That was the dark man. He was speaking in a calm, polite tone. “Superman was attempting to defend the city. He thought you were attacking it, he had no idea you’d just stumbled into it yourself.”

Naruto paused a minute. “Really? He was attacking awfully hard.”

“Well…” The man coughed slightly. “You did attack three members of his team.”

Team. Right, Naruto remembered that. He supposed that did make a bit more sense then. Slowly the assurances flooded back into his head. They weren’t being held prisoner. They were safe. Hinata trusted these people (momentarily it flashed into his head that Shino apparently didn’t, but he dismissed it). They were okay. 

Still, he felt the need to make sure. “So… you guys aren’t working with the one bald guy then?”

“Bald guy?” The one in the stretcher spoke up now. His voice was surprisingly hoarse.

Naruto glanced over at him, confused. “Yeah, y’know, the bald guy. The one who was asking all the questions? He wanted to know about chakra and stuff. You guys aren’t working with him?”

The two men exchanged a glance. Now even Naruto’s friends looked puzzled.

“I guess you’re not, then.” Naruto let out a yawn of relief. “I didn’t really think so, I mean, these beds are a lot nicer and there’re no restraints. And the room is cooler too. But I thought that one… Superman guy—and his team—I thought they were from the bald guy’s village trying to catch me again.”

“No.” The dark man was obviously speaking carefully. “No, they weren’t.”

Naruto yawned. “Oh good.”

“Can you describe this ‘bald guy?’” That was from the stretcher guy. He seemed oddly tense.

Naruto gave a shrug. “I dunno. Pretty average, I guess. Big forehead. Wore a lab coat. Creepy-looking, deep voice. Bald. Really bald.”

“You said, that, Naruto-kun.” Hinata reminded him.

The man hissed through his teeth and lay back on his stretcher. “Should’ve known.”

“Impossible.” The dark man looked at the other one. “He’s dead. It could be lots of people, Bats, we’ve got tons of bald baddies, it doesn’t have to…”

“It _could_ be, yes.  But we both know who it _is._ ” commented the other grimly. “Being dead has never stopped him before.”

“But look, it just couldn’t…”

The other interrupted him. “Show him the picture if you’re not sure. Let him look.”

The dark man sighed and reached over to a computer console on the near wall. After a few clicks, he found what he was looking for and swiveled the screen to face Naruto. “He look like this, son?”

Naruto squinted. “Yeah, that’s him. Bit shorter, maybe, and no creepy grin, but…” 

His voice trailed off. The dark man, his face almost pale, had suddenly clutched the side of the bed and let loose a colorful string of language Naruto couldn’t quite follow. The other man looked even grimmer than normal, and his hands were clenching and unclenching on the sheets.

“Luthor.” He hissed. Glancing at Naruto, he snapped: “If there’s anything else you know about that place, you had better tell us quickly.”

“Why?” Naruto felt a sudden burst of stubbornness.

“Because if he has any more of your friends, they’re in serious danger.”

* * *

  
Kiba shivered. The room wasn’t that cold, but there was a window open at his back, and without his coat, the draft was really annoying.

He didn’t see why the man had taken his coat. Or his pants, really. The guy’d been studying them for hours, now, as if he expected to find something sinister (outside of the kunai, shuriken, and exploding tags he’d already found) inside them. He’d pick up the fabric, feel it between his fingers, peer at the weave through a large glass, and jot down a few notes in the little book he carried around.

Although Kiba supposed he should be grateful the man hadn’t moved on to any REAL interrogation techniques, he still missed his coat. And his pants. Sitting in boxers tied to a small wooden chair in a drafty apartment got old REAL fast. To make things worse, he hadn’t had a chance to sleep last night, and every time he looked like he was nodding off, the man would dump a bucket of water on him.

Another reason Kiba was shivering.

Still, no problem. He was a ninja, he could deal. He’d stayed awake whole weeks before fighting off ninjas without anything except a few soldier pills. A missed night in the company of a madman like this was nothing.

The faceless man stood up finally. He rubbed his chin and muttered a few words of meaningless jargon, then turned to Kiba. “Be right back.” He informed him. “Need to cross-reference thread weave with Stonehenge algorithms.”

Kiba rolled his eyes. He’d really stopped trying to understand what the man said even when he spoke properly. This whole situation was starting to feel unreal. Buildings and beasts of steel, faceless men who sometimes uttered blabbering syllables and sometimes meaningless words, and stars that didn’t match up. Between that, the cold, and the lack of sleep, Kiba was starting to wonder if this whole thing was just one giant hallucination.

A sudden noise at the door made him look up. 

He stared in disbelief as a woman in purple underwear, wearing a mask and carrying a crossbow, entered the apartment. The woman started back at the sight of him, frowned, cocked her head, uttered a few unintelligable angry exclamations, and stalked through the opposite door. A few moments later, a stream of inarticulate noises issued from the other room.

Kiba blinked. So... hallucination, then.

* * *

 

“I was afraid you were dead.” Naruto said, his voice curiously small. “Sasuke said… he said he was gonna… right in front of me…”

“I’m fine, Naruto-kun.” She offered a reassuring smile. “Lois-san found me shortly I arrived here and sent me to a hospital. I’m doing well.”

“That’s… that’s good.” 

Hinata eyed the young blonde worriedly. The mens’ revelations about Luthor had compelled Neji and the others to reluctantly cooperate. Neji, currently, had left with the green archer man to Gotham to find Sakura and the others, while Shino had left with another team to attack the facility Naruto had been held at. (They’d found it through some velocity calculation and other factors… Hinata didn’t quite understand). 

Sai had remained behind. It was quietly understood among the ninjas that this was to prevent a hostage situation. If they did manage to find their friends, Neji would have Sakura, Lee, and Chouji to back him up. Shino would have Tenten, Shikamaru, and Kiba (Naruto had said the third didn’t feel like Kiba, but who else could it be?). Thus, if their new “allies” turned on them, the only weak point was at the Tower, where they had only two kunoichi and a burnt-out Naruto. And Sai. 

Anyway, that was the plan. But when the rookies had all turned to go, Naruto’s hand had reached out and grabbed hers. So Hinata, instead of staying with Sai and Ino like she was supposed to, had instead stayed here, with Naruto.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Naruto’s voice broke into her thoughts.

“I’m sure.” She smiled.

“M’sorry. I just… I just need to… to make sure. It’s important that I protect my friends and I…” he swallowed and looked away a moment. “I’ve lost so many friends already, Hinata. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost another.”

“I… I understand, Naruto-kun.” Hinata looked down, trying to hide her disappointment. Of course. Naruto was always worried about his friends.

Eyes simply staring off into space, Naruto continued as if he hadn’t heard. “I need to protect them.” He said softly. “I don’t get very many, so I need to watch the few I… but I can’t.” Voice sinking to a whisper, his head drooped down. “I can’t protect them.”

Snapping out of her disappointment, Hinata gazed at him, wide-eyed.

“It just…” Naruto stared at his hands and clenched them. “I just don’t get it. I keep training and training so I can protect my friends, my precious people, and yet… It’s never enough. I wasn’t powerful enough to stop Sasuke, I wasn’t powerful enough to save Jiraiya-sensei, and I wasn’t even there when all of you fought Sasuke.” His hands were shaking. “All that power… that stupid fox in my belly, and I couldn’t do a thing to protect any of you…”

“Naruto-kun…”

“And now we’re stuck on some other world, and… and...” Groaning, Naruto clutched his head in his hands. “And half my friends are in serious danger and I don’t even know where they are!”

“I’m sure Neji-san will find Sakura and the others.” Hinata tried to comfort him. He must be worried about her.

“If Luthor and his men don’t find them first. And Luthor already HAS Kiba, Shikamaru, and Tenten.” Voice rising, Naruto gestured angrily with his arms. “I just… I just feel so HELPLESS! I don’t know anything about this world and my friends are in danger and I can’t do a thing about it!”

He felt a hand rest on his arm and he looked up into Hinata’s warm white eyes. “Naruto…” she murmured. “Do you know why Sai said we should go to attack Sasuke ourselves? Without telling you?” At Naruto’s wordless shake of his head she continued. “It was because he felt you took too much on yourself. He felt like you were taking the burden of all of us on your own shoulders. He didn’t want you to feel you had to do that.” Her gaze narrowed slightly. “NONE of us wanted you to feel that way. That’s why we did it.”

Naruto looked confused. “But… I didn’t…”

“Naruto… Shikamaru’s not stupid. He’ll take care of Tenten and Kiba.” Hinata reminded him. “And Sakura, Lee, and Chouji have all grown up too. They should be fine. You need to stop always worrying about them. I—We are your friends, Naruto. We don’t want you always worrying about us.”

Naruto closed his eyes and swallowed. “I know.” He said. “But I… I feel like I can’t help it. Have you ever… It’s like… you’re standing there, knowing that a friend of yours is in danger and you just… you can’t HELP but worry about them. You know? Even if it’s selfish of you, you can’t just… you need to help. You need to do something.”

“Yes.” Hinata closed her eyes, a little sadly. “I know.”

Struck by her tone, Naruto looked over and studied her expression. He bit his lip momentarily as if contemplating something, then spoke again, in a curiously quiet voice. 

“You know… I never did… say thank you.”

Hinata looked up, her eyes wide and nervous. “F-f-for wh-wh-what, Naruto-kun?”

“For what you did. You know, against Pain.”

Blood rushed into Hinata’s head. It pounded in her ears, throbbed against her temple. No, no, no, no, NO! She’d known this was coming, yearned for it, dreaded it, knew it had to happen sometime, but not now, not NOW!

“I just… I just didn’t know how to handle it at first.” Naruto continued. “I mean… I never thought I’d ever hear anyone… it just seemed so unreal. So I didn’t want to talk to you… in case… y’know, I’d just imagined the whole thing.” He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “After all, I went Kyuubi shortly after—the whole thing was a little fuzzy in my head.”

Hinata stared at him, trembling slightly.

“But that’s no excuse.” Naruto continued softly. “No excuse at all.” He looked up. “Hinata…”

The door banged open with a beautiful clamor and Hinata nearly flew around in hopes of an escape. The dark-skinned man stood there, looking slightly embarressed.

“Can you give us a hand a quick second?” He asked. “There’s something wrong with the blonde girl.”

* * *

 

 _I will have to reevaluate the power level of these individuals_. Shino thought as he watched the red-caped man smash through the mountain side. _Such a power level renders our situation increasingly precarious. Any future interaction with them will have to be handled with great care._

It was not simply the power of the single man in front of him that made Shino uneasy, it was those of their companions. Shino had privately considered twelve to be far too inadequate for an assault on a military position, but events had caused him to re-assess that judgment. His companions spouted fire from their arms, wielded incredible weaponry, moved at amazing speeds (for non-ninja), and exhibited immense strength. One was even riding a flying horse, of all things.

However,it seemed that the incredibly power of his (temporary) allies had been wasted. They had found the complex described by Naruto, but it was completely empty. Obviously, it’s former inhabitants had considered immediate flight expedient upon Naruto’s forcible removal from the facility. How or where they had left, however, neither Shino nor the others could discover.

Currently, Shino was inspecting one of the “rooms” in which he suspected Naruto and the others had been imprisoned. Given Naruto’s account and the destruction just outside of the room, he judged it to have been Shikamaru’s. He peered up the hole in the roof and tapped his feet idly on the rubble. This obviously required a being of great strength. He mused. 

Feeling a sudden prescence at his elbow, he turned to face the man in the red cape—Superman, he reminded himself. 

“Anything?” asked the man.

Shino shook his head. “My allies have been unable to trace any noticeable chakra signatures in the facility.” He answered, still staring up at the hole. “Tell me, is this man Luthor exceptionally strong?”

“Not… normally.” Superman shrugged. “But he’s found ways to enhance his strength before. And he often hires metas.”

“Metas?” frowned Shino. Thanks to the strange encyclopedia in his head, he understood the term, but he didn’t see how it applied.

“Hm? Oh. People with unusual abilities, like me and you. Luthor himself doesn’t have any powers, but he hires plenty of people who do.”

Similar to a kekkai genkai. Shino nodded thoughtfully. It still didn’t make sense, though. There had been a very powerful man here, most definitely. But Naruto said he’d sensed the chakra source appear behind him. How had that happened? This was a straight hallway, Naruto would already have destroyed anyone in the area behind him. Then too, there were no signs of the man’s approach. It seemed as though he’d simply appeared right behind Naruto.

Possible, with shunshin no jutsu. If this man had indeed possessed chakra, it was rather possible that he had employed it. But besides them, who here could use chakra? Moreover, who could use it to expel Naruto, an S-level nin in his own right?

Too many questions. No answers.

* * *

* * *

 

“Strictly speaking, it’s not a real problem.” Mr. Terrific explained to the white-eyed girl and her pale-faced companion. “I mean, we can understand you all perfectly well. But just to avoid confusion… well, it’s better if you were all able to speak English.”

Hinata tilted her head, confused. “English?”

“That’s the strange… language we’re speaking in now?” Sai lifted a polite eyebrow. “Very interesting. What do you call the stuff we usually speak?”

“Japanese. Or, in the native tongue, Nihongo.” 

“Japanese, Nihongo….” Sai seemed to consider the word. “Very odd.” Shaking his head, he turned a questioning look onto the dark man. “But if we usually are speaking ‘Japanese,’ how can we understand this ‘English’ that we are speaking now?”

Mr. Terrific indicated the Martian beside him. “That’s because of J’onn here. He planted the knowledge inside your heads while most of you were asleep.” 

Sai nodded, apparently satisfied, but Hinata was not so easily put off. “What are you all talking about? What’s wrong with Ino?”

“Well… that’s just it.” Mr Terrific cast a glance at the blonde in the chair, who was glancing from side to side in confusion. For some reason, her face cleared whenever the white-eyed girl spoke. “For some reason, J’onn can’t plant the information in her head.”

“Why is that?”

Rolling his eyes, Mr. Terrific let out a huff of frustration. “That’s what I’d like to know.” He turned on the Martian. “J’onn, why can’t you simply explain what’s stopping you from going in there and helping the poor girl?”

Shifting about, J’onn threw the scientist an apologetic glance. “I just… can’t.”

The other’s eyes narrowed. “Can’t, or won’t?”

“…both,” admitted the Martian.

Here the blonde girl broke in. “ _Ano hitotachi wa nani o itteirundesuka? <_What are they saying? _>_ ” She asked, eyes darting from Sai to Hinata. Obviously she had not understood the previous conversation.

The boy sighed. “ _Aoi hito-san wa Ino-san ni shaberi o oshieru ga dekinai sou desu_ <The blue/green man is not able to teach you how to talk>.” 

“Ino-chan, can’t you understand them?” asked Hinata, eyeing her friend with increasing worry.

" _Iya, zenzen wakarimasen_ _ <_No, I don't understand at all _>_.” The girl shook her head emphaticly. 

Mr. Terrific’s eyes narrowed. 

“But... how is that possible...?"  Hinata seemed utterly flabbergasted.  "You can understand me, can't you?"

" _Demo_ …<But...>” The girl cocked her head, apparently puzzled by the question. “ _Hinata-chan no shaberi wa zenzen chigaimasu_ <you're not talking like them at all.>"

Hinata blinked. “What?"

Sai’s eyes were large and apprehensive. " _Hinata-san_ ,” said he carefully, “ _chigai o kidzuiteirun desu ka?_ <Can you notice any difference?> _Koushite hanaseba to_ , <From when I speak like this to...>” He switched languages suddenly, “…when I speak like this?  Any difference?"

Hinata stared at him for a long second. Then she shook her head. “No... Sai-san, is this some kind of joke?”

“One moment.” Mr. Terrific broke in, addressing the pale-eyed girl. "Did you understand what we were talking about earlier, about English and Japanese?"

“So this whole time, you’ve been hearing us all speak in the same language?”

Puzzled, Hinata stared up at him with doubtful eyes. “…haven’t we?”

Sai, Ino, and J’onn were now all staring at the girl, but Mr. Terrific had one more theory he wanted to test out. “You.” He pointed at Sai. “If Ino can understand her, what language has she been speaking in this whole time?”

Sai blinked. “Just normally… Japanese.”

"Interesting." Mr. Terrific took a deep breath. “From my perspective, she's been speaking English since she first got here.” Suddenly noticing an apprehensive expression on J’onn’s face, he turned to him. “What is it?” he asked, a sinking feeling in his chest.

J’onn coughed a little awkwardly. “Well… I hadn’t really noticed it before… it was just so natural… but….” he coughed again. “I’ve been hearing her speak in Martian this entire time.”

Sai, Mr. Terrific, and Hinata all stared. “Martian?” Mr. Terrific asked. “Seriously?”

“Not just Martian, but—now that I think about it—a particular dialect of Martian that was spoken in the region where I grew up,” added J’onn helpfully.

“What’s Martian?” asked Hinata in a small voice.

Ino had been glancing about in confusion again. " _Sai-san, ittai nani ga okotteirundesuka_?  <Sai, what's going on?>"

Sai , without responding, picked up a pencil from the table, and, before either adult could stop him, stabbed it into his hand. He stared at the blood dripping from his palm, withdrew the pencil, examined the bloody tip, and slowly shook his head. " _Shirimasen_.  <I don't know.>" He muttered.

"...That would make two of us."  Terrific agreed, eyes going from the boy's bleeding hand to the two girls.

"Three."  J'onn frowned.

 _Four or five,_ Terrific thought, seeing the look on Hinata's face.  She kept glancing from her friends to the adults, her white eyes large and frightened. 

Then, suddenly, her head snapped up and her eyes cleared. Mr. Terrific could not be sure, but for a moment, he thought he saw a tinge of green in them. Raising her hands, she stared at them for a long moment, then walked over to Ino and put out a hesitant hand.

“ _Hinata-chan? Nani o shiteirun desu ka?_ <What are you doing?>" asked the blonde hesitantly, as the other girl touched her on the shoulder. _“Nani_ … do you think you’re doing? I don’t see how…” her voice trailed off as she suddenly caught on to something. “I… I…” She looked over to Sai and the others. “What the heck just happened?”

Leaning over, Mr. Terrific asked Sai, “Can she usually do things like that?”

“No.” Sai shook his head, his fingers straying back to the pencil. “No she can’t.”

 

* * *

 

“Can’t you even talk properly?” Sakura cast a disgusted look over at the woman who lay bound in the corner. Since the woman had woken up about half-an-hour ago, she’d done little except struggle against her bonds and ramble on in that curious jumble of sounds she’d been using. Sakura had hoped to interrogate the woman and perhaps gain a better understanding of their situation, but apparently that would not work in this situation.

If she didn’t know better, Sakura would almost think that the sounds were supposed to mean something. Certainly, the way certain segments were shouted at her implied some sort of intent, and occasionally they could discern her meaning through tone and gestures alone. Perhaps she was delusional, and thought she was speaking normally to them.

Sakura shook her head and returned her attention to the apple in her hand. With Lee and Chouji unable to look at the woman for any extended period of time, it was left to her to guard the prisoner. Unfortunately, not only did she detest said prisoner, the prisoner also seemed to detest her. The two had so far spent their time shouting at one another, conveying intents if not exact meanings.

“What happened to you, anyway?” She threw a casual question at the woman. “I figured we’d have to keep you drugged to keep you from breaking this rope of yours, but for some reason it looks like you’ve lost all your strength.” Studying the woman, she finally decided. “Some kind of time-limit jutsu you used? Can’t get your strength back until you perform it again.” She smirked. “Good luck with that.”

Good luck indeed. They’d tied her arms apart, to prevent her making hand seals, and cut off most of her chakra by painting seals on her arms. Yawning, Sakura leaned back. “Wish we knew how to get word to that Batman friend of yours.” 

The woman glanced up sharply at the word, ‘Batman.’ Sakura smirked. “Ah, you understand that word, do you? Good. Do you know how we could talk to this Batman?”

The woman responded with a flow of unintelligible invectives.

“Suit yourself.” Sakura sighed. This was getting old real fast. This prisoner had already caused her to miss out on a perfectly good shopping experience, and subjected her to the choices of Lee, who had been the only conscious person capable of procuring the necessary disguises (although he had heartily protested at the “unyouthfulness” or robbing stores). Sakura considered herself lucky that there were no spandex stores in the area, as it happened, the worst they’d come off with was a series of dark green coveralls. 

Unfortunately, as Lee had no concept of size, the clothes were far too tight on Chouji, and far too big on Sakura. Once again she devoted a frown to the voluminous folds of her garment. She had rolled up the sleeves and the trouser legs, but nothing could keep the middle from sagging hopelessly about her frame. Only a stout belt, tightly fastened around her waist, kept the whole from falling off.

 _I look fat in this._ Sakura decided. Or gangly. _No, I definitely look gangly._ “And it’s all your fault!” She added to the prisoner. 

A rush of steps at the entryway announced Lee’s arrival. “Sakura-san!” he cried, rushing in. “Chouji says…” he caught sight of the woman and quickly turned, blushing. “Chouji says,” he continued, speaking to the wall, “that he can see a group of people leaping across the roofs toward us.”

“Drat.” Sakura got to her feet. While they had the woman as a hostage, they were still at something of a disadvantage. Sakura hadn’t had time to rig the building with traps yet, and it could be easily surrounded.

Still, it would have to do. Striding over, Sakura grabbed the bound woman and hauled her upright. “Come on.” She said, to Lee and the woman collectively. “Let’s go meet our visitors.”

At the door, Sakura and Lee were greeted by a faceoff between a tense Chouji and a bearded archer on the roof. “We… come… in… peace…” The man was saying, in a halting fashion, as if he was just learning the words. “We mean… you… no harm.”

Sakura snorted. “Yeah right. Lee, get up there and… Lee? Lee!”

“YOSH!” Lee suddenly exploded. “My youthful comrade! Your costume displays the vigor and fire of youth!” He gave the man a swift bow. “You appear to be a worthy adversary! I am Rock Lee, the handsome green beast of Konoha! Yosh! By what youthful name are you known?”

His costume? Glancing over, Sakura suppressed a groan. Green. Green Spandex. _What were the odds of us fighting somebody dressed in green spandex?_

Fortunately, the green-clad archer seemed just as bewildered as she. “Uhhhhhh….” He blinked at the boy, scratched his head, looked over his shoulder at somebody, then repeated mechanically. “We come… in peace. We mean you… no harm.”

“Sure you don’t.” Sakura pushed their prisoner to the front and forced her to her knees, drawing a kunai as she did so. “That’s why you sent the night hawk after us, right?”

The appearance of the woman had a striking effect on the man. He started back, uttering a few choice words of gibberish. Other figures appeared on the ridge of the building, apparently curious as to the commotion. They too, did a double take and began to spout the nonsenical phrases.

 _They’re ALL wearing spandex?_ Sakura frowned. _What is WITH this place?_

Suddenly the woman at her feet spoke, apparently in response to some questions the green archer had been asking. The gibberish went back and forth, with increasing disbelief being shown from the woman. It seemed the green archer had moved on to telling her something which she either disbelieved or disliked.

“That’s enough!” Sakura pulled hard on the rope and put a kunai to the woman’s neck. “No more talking!”

The circle of people fell dead silent at her move. In the second it’d taken her to move, the archer had nocked an arrow to the string and pointed it straight at her. He’s fast. She realized.

“Don’t try anything! My arm can move faster than any of you can.” Except that arrow. But at this angle, she should be enough in my way that he can’t get a clear shot. “We want our teammate back, and we want him now.”

Licking his lips, the green archer replied. “We come in peace. We mean…”

“Oh, enough already!” Sakura screamed. “Where’s your Batman, and where’s Neji?”

“I’m right here, Sakura-san.”

Sakura, Lee, and Chouji blinked in surprise as Neji’s pale form came into sight atop the building.

 

* * *

 

“We checked the whole facility. No sign of him or his supplies.” Glancing around the room, Superman could see various expressions: disappointment, weariness, chagrin… but no surprise.  All of them—Batman, Mr. Terrific, J’onn, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Flash, and even Waller from the governement—had known he’d be gone.

“How’d they get out?”

Superman shook his head. “No idea. A group that size should’ve been obvious, but we can’t find anything. There’s a hangar bay, and a motor pool, so they had cars and airplanes, but neither radar nor satellite footage from the last three hours shows anything leaving.”

“Three hours.” There was grudging admiration in Mr. Terrific’s voice. “To move all that equipment and material in three hours, and to do it without any sign… the man’s an organizational genius.”

From her spot at the far end of the table, Amanda Waller snorted. “It’s not that hard. You supers aren’t as all-seeing as you might think, Cadmus was able to relocate within half-an-hour of your initial attack on our facility.”

“And we were able to find you again half-an-hour later.” Batman grunted.

“You were. Not the League.” She pointed out. “There’s an important difference.” 

Ignoring Batman’s snort, Hawkgirl cleared her throat. “Hate to break up the party, but am I the only one bothered by the fact that Luthor is somehow still alive, when he ought to be dead?”

“No.” Superman turned. “You’re not the only one. Something is dead wrong about this. I SAW him die, I was right there when he and Darkseid just… disappeared, there’s no way he could have…”

Batman was shaking his head. “You always think that. I never believed he was dead.”

“Bats, you’re paranoid,” replied Flash, shooting the crimefighter a smirk. “You never think ANYONE is dead.”

A shrug. “They never are.”

“Well, one way or another, Luthor’s alive, and apparently he has three of our dimensional visitors,” sighed Superman, unwilling to pursue the topic any further. “We’ve taken the one we found at the tower—we’ll detain him here—and we still have the six others. Green Arrow is trying to find the other three Batman met…”

“He’s made contact.” J’onn interrupted. “Incidently, he’s also found Wonder Woman, it appears the three were able to trap her somehow.”

“What’s her status?” asked Batman.

“She’s unharmed. They were using her as a hostage, but the one we sent with them—Neji—is defusing the situation. According to Green Arrow, they should be able to convince them to return.”

Superman nodded. “Good. So that makes nine—ten, actually—of the seventeen we need.”

“Question.” Waller raised a hand. “What exactly do you intend to do with them? I gather from Miss Lane that they’re not to stay here anymore.”

Superman looked distinctly uncomfortable. “We’ll figure that out later. In the meantime, we need to focus on rescuing the three Luthor has and capturing the two rogues out on the run.”

“Hang on a sec.” Frowning, Flash raised a hand. “I’m not that good with numbers but I think… if we have TWO rogues, and THREE prisoners, plus TEN visitors here at the tower, that brings us…” he counted on his fingers, “…only to fifteen.” He glanced up. “Weren’t there supposed to be sixteen of these guys?”

“Seventeen.” Batman closed his eyes. “And a dog. Yes, Flash, we’re still missing some. It can’t take long, we’ll find them.”

* * *

 

“Q.” said Huntress, in a deceptively sweet voice. “Would you mind telling me why there’s a half-naked teenager tied up in your apartment?”

Question did not look up from his computer. “Research.”

“Huh. And what kind of ‘research’ are we talking about here?”

“Investigation into that which society wants hidden. Secrets. The dark happenings of the night.” Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Question added. “Research into the questions that most are unwilling to ask.”

Huntress’s eyes narrowed. “Is this more of your usual mumbo-jumbo or is there something you need to tell me?”

“Not mumbo-jumbo. Fact. The answers to the questions are there, if you choose to see them. You cannot avert your eyes from the truth.”

“Just tell me why he’s in his boxers.”

Glancing upwards at last, Question noted that his girlfriend seemed upset for some reason. Still, he might as well answer. “Because I took off his pants.”

“Aaaand… WHY did you do that?” There was a dangerous glint in her eye.

“To examine the weave.” He indicated the trousers laid across the table and the magnifying glass next to it. “Already cross-referenced geometric pattern with Stonehenge algorithms without results, now examining possible connections to the Zoroastrians apocalyptic sequence. Also trying to determine what brand of polyester.”

“Oh.” His girlfriend’s face cleared. “That’s… good. Sorry, for a second there I thought you were up to something weird.”

Question’s faceless brow wrinkled in confusion. “Why would you think that?”

  
“Well… it’s just… I wasn’t exactly expecting to see something like… that when I walked in just now.” She walked up to the desk and seated herself on it. “It’s… kinda extreme. And it’s not really normal for you to take prisoners here.”

“This isn’t a normal prisoner,” replied Question, returning his attention to the screen.

“Really.” Huntress glanced back toward the door. “Where’d you find him?”

“Here in Hub City. He killed three full-grown men with only a few knives. When questioned, he revealed that he was an operative—ninja, he says—of a paramilitary organization. I have reason to believe he may have been teleported here, which means he is part of the Mayan hair-salon collective. He only speaks Japanese,” Question added absentmindedly. “Curious, might perhaps indicate a connection between the Mayans and the Tokugawa Shogunate.”

“Huh,” said Huntress, barely listening. Then, slowly, things began to click in her head. Japanese, ninja, unusual fighting skills, paramilitary organization, teleportation…

“Q, where’s your League communicator?” 

“Turned it off,” came the reply. “Can’t deal with League right now, work too important. Close to a breakthrough, might mean the exposure of the Illuminati, the…”

“Give me your communicator, NOW!” Huntress snapped. “And for goodness sake, get in there and get the pants back on that kid, you don’t want to freak out the rest of the League more than you have already.”

“I told you, this isn’t League business.” Question protested, moving to collect the garments anyway. “Affairs of the Illuminati, they wouldn’t believe me, not until…”

Rolling her eyes, Huntress sighed. “Q, what you’ve got in there is definitely League business. They’ve been looking for that guy for the past two days. Honestly, you gotta know it’s bad when _I_ have a better idea of what the League’s doing than you do.”

* * *

  

Lee and Chouji at her side, Sakura followed Neji out the door. Sakura threw a final glare at the woman as she stepped from the shuttle. She didn’t care if everyone here did dress in spandex, that lady still got on her nerves. At least she got the satisfaction of receiving a glare in return.

Of course, there WAS the fact that they were now stepping into a whole fortress filled with said annoying lady’s friends. Sakura shivered, and for a moment she halted. For some reason, it felt oddly comfortable to feel Lee bump into her shoulder and apologize, reminding her of his prescence. She wasn’t alone here. She still had Lee, and Chouji, and Neji (even if he was acting funny).

And, if Neji was to be believed, she also had the rest of her friends here.

So as she walked out of the hangar and into the anteroom, flanked by Chouji and Lee, preceded by Neji, and surrounded by several spandex-clad individuals, it was an intense relief for her to behold Ino, Hinata, Naruto, Shino, and Sai all waiting there for her. Sure, Naruto looked incredibly beaten up, and Sai’s one hand was a mass of bloody bandages, but they were there. 

And they were safe. They were all safe. 

Sakura dashed away from Lee and Chouji, ahead of Neji, and gave Hinata and Ino a bone-crushing hug. Behind her she could hear the boys greeting each other, asking questions, slapping each other on the back, and generally relaxing.

“Shikamaru? Tenten? Kiba? Kakashi-sensei?” She whispered to the two others.

Ino shook her head. “Shikamaru and Tenten were captured by someone else. We don’t know yet about Kiba and Kakashi-sama.”

“Guys!” A fresh voice broke into the circle and an excited Kiba leapt in. “Guys, you’re here! You’re really here! Sonuva… I was starting to think I was the only one stuck in this crazy world!”

“I am relieved to meet you as well.”

“Yosh!”

“Kiba! Dude! You look like crap!

A cough interrupted the boys reunion, and the group turned around. There, standing before them, was a tall, dark-haired man in a long red cape and bright red boots.

And blue spandex. With red underwear.

Seriously, what was WITH this world?

“I’m sure you’re all very glad to meet each other.” He said carefully. “And I know you all have a lot to catch up on, but first… I think we both have some explaining to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a little Japanese, but for the translation bits here, I relied upon rookie84 from FF.net


	9. Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninjas and the Justice League compare notes. The ninjas don't trust the league enough to stick around, but there's another team that might be willing to let them bunk for a while.

 

                Several hours later, ten very confused Konoha nins filed out of one of the JLU’s briefing rooms.  They said nothing, and each one of them was obviously very concentrated.  Naruto, in the lead, seemed to be pacing almost mechanically with no clear desitination in mind, and the others simply followed him.  Though a few heroes sent them puzzled and even hostile glances as they passed, none tried to stop them… the word had been sent out.

                Halfway across the emergency hangar toward the medical bay, Naruto finally paused in thought.

                “That.”  He said.  “was pretty weird.”

 

* * *

 

                _“Well, thank you all for meeting like this.”  The caped man offered a nervous smile to the entire table.  “I realize we’re not all on the best of terms, but hopefully we can straighten everything out and figure out what’s going on.”_

_Naruto didn’t know if he shared the man’s optimism.  For some reason, Sakura and the one lady at the table seemed to have a death-feud of some kind going on, and the rest of the table wasn’t doing much better.    Neji, Chouji, and especially Lee were all glaring at the stretcher-bound man (Sakura was doing that too, but she seemed more focused on the woman); and Kiba kept nervously glancing around and growling at anyone who came too close.  The only really relaxed people seemed to be Shino, who was being, well, Shino, and Hinata, who was glancing at dark-haired lady at the end of the table.  Sai seemed fairly relaxed too, but something about the way he was twirling that pencil around his fingers bothered Naruto._

_With a cough, the caped man recalled their attention. “First of all, I’m Superman, one of the founding members of the Justice League, and protector of Metropolis.”   He turned to Naruto at this juncture.  “For starters, I’d like to apologize for the battle we had earlier.  I acted hastily, but your attack on Stargirl and the others convinced me you were hostile.”_

_Feeling a trifle embarressed, Naruto rubbed the back of his head.  Now that he had learned more of the situation, the whole incident was horribly awkward.  How he could have thought the girl was shouting out a jutsu when he hadn’t even understood her…  Naruto silently vowed (for the twentieth time) to think more before he started blowing things up._

_Apparently encouraged by his expression, Superman continued, “I suppose an ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t quite cover my beating you to an inch of your life, but if you…”_

_“It’s okay.”  Naruto interrupted, hoping to get past the issue already.  “You’d be surprised how often that sort of thing happens.”_

_Superman blinked, taken off guard “Well… thank you.  We’ll proceed then with giving you guys some background.”  Nodding to one of the others, he sat back down._

_The dark-skinned man rose and pressed a button on his wrist.  Instantly a glowing orb appeared above the table, it’s green-blue surface glowing faintly in the dim room.  Naruto eyed the man with reverence.  He must be QUITE a ninja to pull off even a minor genjutsu like that without any hand seals whatsoever._

_“This,” said the man, “is Earth.  You are currently in the nation of the United States…” the image zoomed in, “in the state of New York…” again it zoomed in,  “in the city of Metropolis.”  One final zoom brought the city into focus.  “The building you are currently in is called the Metro Tower, one of two facilities the Justice League operates.”_

_Huh?_

_“Metropolis” Naruto understood, thanks to Hinata and a few other talks he’d had.  “New York” was a new one to him, as was “United States.”  But what really threw him off was this “Earth” idea._

_They were ON that globe?  As in, the ground they were standing on was part of some giant ball floating somewhere?  And they calle d it EARTH?  “Earth” was the name of a minor country, not of some… weird… ballish thing with a bunch of people living on it._

_Shino, apparently,was interested in something completely different.  “And what is this ‘Justice League’?”_

_“Ah…”  Superman rose again.  “THAT is a question.”_

 

* * *

 

                “They… seem like nice people,”  ventured Hinata.

                “As Ino has observed, that tends to be your appraisal of most people.”  Shino adjusted his glasses.  “While certainly they do not appear to have any hostile motives, that does not mean that their profession of good will was made in good faith.”

                Sai inclined his head in agreement.  “When determining enemies, one must look at allegiances rather than attitudes. ‘ Nice’ or otherwise, they were very evasive about questions of who they worked for or who funded them.”

                “They said that’s ‘cause they’re not tied to any government,” blinked Naruto.  “Like, they try to keep out of politics and stuff.”

                With a snort, Neji shook his head.  “That only makes it worse.  It makes them a loose association of missing nins, very similar in organization to Akatsuki.” 

                “Oh c’mon, Neji, these guys aren’t terrorists they’re working for peace.”

                “So was Akatsuki, in their own way.”  Naruto fell silent at that, and Neji continued.  “These men answer to no one but themselves, and thus are doubly untrustworthy.  Today they may feel like allowing us freedom and assistance; tomorrow they may decide to extract all the information they can from us.  After all, it was just yesterday we were all prisoners.  We cannot remain safe so long as we rely on their goodwill.”

                Sakura gave a short nod.  “I’m with the others on this one, Naruto.  Sorry, but it looks like you’re outvoted.”

                “Fine.”  Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced away irritably.  “So what do you guys suggest?”

                “We make our way back to Konoha.”  Sai shrugged.

                “Oh?  And how do we do that?”  An uncomfortable silence greeted this question.  “You heard what they said in there.  Even if you don’t believe everything they said, that part was pretty clear.  We’re stuck here, for a while at least.  They might be able to help us get back.”

                “Perhaps.”  Shino said, somewhat coldly.  “But perhaps they might not be able to, and our chances are at least as good as theirs.”

                “Better, actually.”  Sakura arched her eyebrows.  “We know more about the teleportation and our ‘powers’ as they call them, are better suited to replicate the sequence than theirs are.  We can probably figure it out sooner working on our own.”

Naruto huffed but let the subject drop.  Surprisingly, though, Hinata had a question of her own.  “Wh-what d-do we d-d-do while we’re waiting?”

“Hm?  What do you mean?”  Chouji asked.

“W-well…”  Hinata toyed with her fingers a little.  “I-it’s going t-to t-take us a wh-while to f-f-figure all that stuff out.  W-what do we do until we do?  I-I mean… we don’t really know much about this world.  Wh-where are we going to stay?  What are we going to do?”

“That’s…. a good question.”  Frowning, Sakura chewed on her lip.  “It’s not like we can just reinvent the jutsu overnight.”

Ino nodded.  “We need to find Shikamaru and Tenten  before we can return to Konoha too.  How are we going to do that?”

“That’s a matter we can handle ourselves,” shrugged Neji.  “As for what to do… well, I imagine we can find some sort of facility to occupy, raise money through various contracts and missions.  Not terribly difficult.  It may take some adjusting, but it wouldn’t be too difficult.”

Naruto shook his head.  “That won’t work.  For one, that Luthor guy is still out there, and he might be after the rest of us.  We need to know how this world works in order to stay ahead of him.  Also…” he hesitated for a moment, “…call me crazy, but I don’t think these JLU guys would like the whole idea of us setting up a mini-ninja village in the area.”

“True.”  Neji frowned.

There was a moment of silence as everyone mulled that over.  Finally, Naruto spoke up.  “Well, we’ve still got some time to figure that out.  I guess I see why you guys don’t want to stay here, but keep in mind we’ll need some kind of plan for once they let us out.” 

He glanced at the nods he received.  “Okay, tell you what.  For now, at least, there’s no need to be antsy about kidnap attempts.  Let’s split up, see what we can learn from the people here, and meet back here in a few hours.  Then we can compare notes and decide where to go from there.”

“Be careful, all of you.”  Neji warned.  “We still don’t completely understand these people.”

 

* * *

 

  _“S-so  y-you’re kinda like ninjas,” said the pale-eyed girl.  “Ninjas protect the civilians from other ninjas, because the civilians can’t use chakra properly.  It’s why we form villages  B-but…”  Hesitantly, she paused “…you’re not bound to any village, are you?”_

_“You’re like some kind of global ninja alliance?”  The blonde blinked._

_Superman glanced to J’onn for confirmation, still unsure as to what exactly these ‘ninja villages’ were like.  After a moment of hesitation, J’onn nodded._

_“That’s awesome!” grinned the blonde._

_“Uh… thanks.”  This blonde was turning out to be their easiest customer.  “Well… in that role as a global alliance, it’s our job to deal with… well, extra-global matters.  Things outside the earth, if you understand me.”  A quick glance showed him that they didn’t.  “You know, like outer space?  Aliens?”_

_“What’re aliens?”  The tattooed boy wrinkled his nose in confusion._

_“Perhaps a better example would be extra-dimensional matters.”  Batman’s gravelly voice cut in.  “Like the one we’re in now.”_

_“Yes!  Yes, exactly.”  Almost sighing with relief, Superman turned matters over to his friend.  “Bats, seeing as this is your field, would you…”_

_Batman grunted.  “Suppose I might as well.”  Ignoring the glares levied at him, he raised his stretcher enough to survey the table properly.  “By now, I imagine you understand the concept of different dimensions and alternate realities.  What you don’t know is our history with these matters.”  He clicked a few buttons on the side of his stretcher and a frighteningly familiar set of faces popped into view.   “Multiple dimensions were first confirmed by the arrival of Mr. Mxyzptlk in Metropolis in 2001.  Parallel realities were validated several months later by Lois Lane’s insertion into an alternate Metropolis.”_

_From his position at the head of the table, Superman could see Lois looking unusually smug and—for some reason—somewhat dreamy-eyed.  Hinata, the pale-eyed girl, was looking at her with reverence._

_“The Justice League first dealt with alternate universes in the affair of the Justice Lords.”_

_That brought a reaction from everyone except the kids.  All of the founding members—Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, J’onn, Wonder Woman, and even Flash—looked suddenly ill at the mention of the twisted versions of themselves. The self-appointed “Guardian of the Guardians,” Green Arrow, chewed the end of his mustache nervously.   Lois merely looked uncomfortable, as she’d only dealt with the Superman Lord cursorily, but Amanda Waller had an expression of quiet bitterness.  Cadmus had partly been built out of fear that the League might become the Lords.  Even Terrific seemed vaguely uneasy._

_Why did Bruce have to bring up THAT, of all things?_

_The answer came without the question being spoken.  Because Bruce, despite whatever he said, still felt the danger of the Justice Lords, and wanted to remind the League not to get carried away with their own power.  Which, Superman realized suddenly, was kinda what this whole thing was about.  The League had overstepped their authority in acting against the Konoha nins.  Thus Batman’s statement was doubly relevant, and, in a way, his own recognition of the mistake he’d made._

_Superman grinned unexpectedly.  It was probably as close as Bruce would ever come to an apology, but it was still something._

_“The Justice Lords succeeded in capturing the seven members of the Justice League active at the time, and proceeded to occupy Earth.  Fortunately the disaster was averted, and for quite some time the League had little extra-dimensional contact.  Then came the arm.”  Batman pressed a few more keys on the table and the infamous mouthed hand appeared floating above the table.  “The arm appeared on July 10 th, 2007, at…”_

_“Hey!”  The blonde boy—Naruto, Superman reminded himself—had jumped to his feet and was pointing at the arm.  “That’s Deidara’s!”_

_Batman paused and Superman glanced up.  “Deidara?”_

_Glancing up, the pink-haired girl studied the arm momentarily and nodded.  “Hey, you’re right, it is.  Didn’t Kakashi-sensei destroy it, though?”_

_“I thought he did.”  Naruto turned on Batman.  “Where’d you guys get it from?”_

_Batman’s eyes had narrowed, he was obviously very interested in this boy’s account.  “We found it on top of a building in Metropolis.  It appeared there shortly after a massive explosion at JLU headquarters.  Who was this Deidara, and what does your sensei have to do with him?”_

_“Deidara?  He was this creepy Akatsuki dude, made little animals out of exploding clay and blew stuff up.”  Pointing at the arms, Naruto continued, “he had those… mouths on his hands to chew and mold the clay for him.”_

_“I see.”  Batman nodded, his face perfectly serious.  “And how did he lose this one?”_

_Naruto shrugged.  “Kakashi-sensei used some eye jutsu on it and teleported it to another dimension.  He meant to get all of Deidara but he hadn’t yet… OH!”_

_Naruto’s eyes had suddenly gotten very large and wide.  Apparently sharing his realization, the pink-haired girl’s hand flew to her mouth.  The other nins looked somewhat puzzled for a moment, and then, slowly, comprehension dawned._

_Superman let out a breath he’d been holding for the last three days.  “Well now… THAT explains a lot.”_

 

* * *

 

                “So their dimensional trip was completely accidental, probably due to something their teacher did.”  The nins were no longer in the briefing room, but the League heroes still had matters to discuss  Currently, Superman was thinking out loud and staring at his fingertips.  “So we finally have an explanation as to how they got here.”

                Green Lantern nodded.  “It’s a little thin, but it fits.  Using experimental weaponry in a battlefield situation explains their story, their condition, and their overall disorientation.  And it makes a lot more sense than a bunch of highly trained soldiers stumbling into a random portal somehow.”

                “It’s a different method of teleportation, though.  No physical portal, just some kind of meta ability their sensei can use with his eye.”  Batman frowned.  “Very atypical.  Don’t think we’ve ever seen that before.”

                “Incidently, the fact that their teacher triggered the portal with his eye implies that he would be unable to teleport himself.  That means we may be one off on our count of dimensional visitors.”  Mr. Terrific pointed out.

                “Right.  So with the Kiba boy that Question had—remind me to talk to him, by the way—that brings us to…”  Superman blinked.  “…well, I guess that accounts for all of them, actually.  So we finally have a good idea of what is happening.”

                “Except for the dog.”  Green Arrow reminded helpfully.

                “AND Luthor.”  Hawkgirl growled.

                “Right, except for Luthor.”  Superman sank back into gloom.  “That part still makes no sense.”

                “It’s not like his death made much sense to begin with.”  Batman pointed out.

“Pardon me for interrupting.”  Waller coughed.  “But what are you all talking about?”

                The members around the League table glanced at each other, before finally Superman sighed and leaned forward.  “As you know,” he said, “about a year ago, Luthor attempted to ressurect Brainiac and instead ressurected Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips.  He promptly invaded Earth in retaliation of my interference with his actions.”

                “What exact interference?”  Waller’s eyes narrowed.  She knew the story of Darkseid’s invasion, but not the reason behind it.

                “Darkseid was attempting to use Brainiac to acquire something called ‘the Anti-Life equation.’”  Batman explained.  He had the attention of most of the room, only the founding members had participated in the Apokolips affair. “Roughly speaking, it’s a mathematical equation that proves life is meaningless and hence grants the owner complete control over the universe.”

                Mr. Terrific snorted.  “Because math totally works that way.”

                “Yes… well,” Superman cast a glance at the scientist.  “He had been trying to do that, and I destroyed both him and Brainiac.  Hence, when Luthor tried to ressurrect Brainiac, he got Darkseid instead, whose first action was to attack Earth.  As you know, Luthor joined Batman and I in the assault on Darkseid’s flagship.”

                “Yes.”  Waller nodded.  “According to my understanding, you fought him to a standstill before being trapped by something called an ‘agony matrix.’  After which, Luthor showed up and defeated him, but died in the process.”  Quirking an eyebrow, she added, “I must confess I’ve always been curious as to why he was the only one able to defeat him.  To be honest, I figured you killed Darkseid and Batman killed Luthor, but you both came up with the story to hide it.”

                Superman closed his eyes, but Batman appeared unpreturbed.  “Good idea, but not the case.  Luthor disappeared from the fight early on, only to return at the end clad in a tuxedo without any weaponry whatsoever.”

                “And he defeated Darkseid like that.”  Quirking an eyebrow, Waller commented, “You’re not really adding much to your story’s credibility here.  Can’t you give me some more details?  I mean, the two of you were THERE, you should know SOMETHING about what happened.”

                Biting back his rage, Superman answered.  “I was a little busy at the time, what with the Agony Matrix and all.  I recall Darkseid saying something about putting my heart on a stake in his throne room.”

                “I was several thousand feet away.”  Batman commented.  “Superman HAD punched Darkseid a sizeable distance, and I’m not as young as I used to be.”  Holding up a hand at Waller’s scoff, he continued, “I can still see pretty well, though.  That, pieced together with what little surveillance footage we could find, gives us a fair idea of what happened.”

                “And that was?”

                Batman smiled without humor.  “A series of things that don’t make any sense.  Luthor simply appeared out of nowhere, clad, as we said, in a tuxedo.   Darkseid was dismissive of him at first, until Luthor revealed what he was carrying.”  As he spoke, Batman frowned in concentration.  “It’s hard to describe, but it appears to have been a shimmering diamond of radiant energy.  At any rate, it fascinated Darkseid, who immediately dropped his torture of Superman and walked straight toward Luthor, putting his hand out to the object.”

                The room was dead silent.  Everyone’s attention was fixated on Batman.  “And then?”  Waller croaked.

                “Then they were surrounded by a whirling field of energy and exploded.”  Superman sighed.  “Batman and I barely managed to get clear.  The only clue we got was the few last words I heard as we were running away.”  His face bending in confusion, Superman shrugged.  “But they don’t make sense either.  Darkseid said ‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it,’ and Luthor agreed, saying ‘Yes, it is.’”

                “Hang on.  You’re telling me the two biggest egomaniacs in the history of… well, EVER, actually aggreed on something?”  Flash cocked a disbelieving eyebrow.

                “And that the most emotionless creature in the cosmos found something beautiful.”  Superman sighed.  “I told you it didn’t make sense.”

                Surprisingly hesitant, Batman spoke up.  “Actually… there is one way it might.”  Seeing everyone’s attention riveted on him, he shrugged irritably.  “I haven’t mentioned this before, but as I said, I saw the battle, and as I DIDN’T say, I can read lips.  I was too far away to catch most of it, but as Luthor revealed the object, he said something along the lines of ‘the only thing you want.’  Given Darkseid’s reaction, he was right.”

                “So?  What does that tell us?”

                Batman grimaced.  “Think about it for a minute, it’ll come to you.  What’s the only thing Darkseid ever really wanted?”

                “Death?”

                “Doom?”

                “Destruction?”

                Grimacing again, Batman lay back on the pillows.  “Sometimes I wonder why I even bother…”

                “Control.”  Superman spoke up, the features of his face working slowly.  “Darkseid wants control.  And the purest incarnation of that control would be…”  His eyes widened.  “You can’t seriously…”

                “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”  Batman’s face was grim.  “The only thing that Darkseid would be interested in or find beautiful.  The Anti-Life equation.”

 

* * *

 

                _“Very interesting,” mused the caped man.  “So your ‘sensei’ used this eye jutsu in battle to remove hazardous objects?”_

_Naruto answered with a careless nod.  “Yeah.  He developed it himself.  Pretty useful, because there really wasn’t any way for the opponent to counteract it.  Far too draining to be used often, though.  He…”_

_“Yes, yes.”  The man cut him off with a wave.  “Do you remember the kind of things he’s used it on?”_

_“Um… Not really.  Just the arm and the explosion.”  Naruto hadn’t really been around for Kakashi’s other battles._

_Surprisingly, Chouji raised his hand.  “When… when our village was… was being invaded by Pain… Kakashi-sama managed to somehow stop a missile shooting at me.  I never really… thought about it, but… I suppose he might have used such a jutsu then.”_

_“A missile, you say?  Would it have been preceded by a nail?”_

_“Er…”  Chouji looked a trifle flabbergasted.  “I don’t know… maybe?  We were in the middle of a battle, it was kinda hard to tell.”_

_“Why do you specifically ask about a nail, Batman-san?”  Shino turned his gaze toward the stretcher-bound man._

_“Because a nail showed up in this world, shortly before the missile did.”  Batman pressed a few more buttons and a new image came into view on the screen.  “Special Agent King Faraday of the United States Government, fomer Liason of the Justice League.  Killed in Washington DC by a NAIL that somehow shot into his throat at a high velocity.”_

_“This is the League’s explanation of that event?”  A heavyset woman at the end of the table—Naruto hadn’t caught her name—snorted.  “I was under the impression that we had agreed it was the DC police’s jurisdiction.”_

_Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto caught just the faintest twitch of humor around the mouth of a skinny man in a red suit.  “You DO realize you’re talking to Bats, right?  Jurisdiction means about nada.”_

_“We did not order the investigation.”  Superman answered the woman, glaring at the stretcher bound man.  “However, I’m not really surprised to find out that Batman looked into it anyway.”_

_“I might not have, if it hadn’t been for the missile that materialized a few moments later and crashed into the Washington Monument.”  Batman snorted.  “THAT, at least, was Justice League business.  I considered the two matters connected and labeled them ‘second contact.’”_

_“Second contact?”  Neji frowned._

_“The explosion at the JLU Metrotower and the arm discovered on the building were labeled first contact, as I considered they had happened at the same time.  By the time of second contact, I had several of the Justice League sateillites monitoring the earth for dimensional cascade frequencies suggested by analysis of the evidence. One of them picked up the specific frequencies, which allowed me to develop a warning system should any other such contacts occur.”  Returning Neji’s glare, he added.  “Such as you.  Third Contact, I suppose.”_

_“You mean to say you were set against these kids before they even landed?”  The thin dark-haired lady at the end of the table screeched._

_Superman massaged his brow.  “Bats, do you ever THINK about telling us what you’re doing?”_

_“First contact blew up part of the Metrotower and Second Contact killed the Justice League liason,” frowned Batman.  “It made perfect sense to think any future contacts would be similarly aggressive.  For all I knew, they could have sent a giant flaming arrow through the next one and destroyed the Effiel Tower.”_

_“The what?”  Ino blinked._

_“In any case,are you suggesting it was wrong for me to design the warning system?  If I hadn’t prepared such a protocol, we might have remained unaware of the dispersement and location of our different ‘visitors,’ or even of their arrival.  Certainly it would have been much more difficult to find them, and we might not have guessed the reason for the Titan’s silence until much later.  There’s no telling what this Uchiha Sasuke might have… ”_

_Naruto barely heard the ejaculation from Sakura as his head snapped up._

_“Sasuke?”_

 

* * *

 

                The case just didn’t make sense.  A shape-shifter COULDN’T have broken bones, it was literally impossible.  And even supposing he could, he should be just able to move said broken bones back into place, or manipulate the non-broken sections.

Yet after half-an-hour of treatment, Beast Boy could not do any of these things. 

The medical staff had done what they could.  They’d treated the affected sections as they would on an ordinary human.  They’d given him painkillers.  They’d taken X-rays, MRI’s, and CAT scans, but they could find nothing.

 Dr. Jewell reflected that she needed a new line of work.  Sure, medical work for the JLU sounded fun and exciting—life-threatening cases, fascinating opportunities to study some of the most rare conditions in the world, the best help and equipment that money could buy (in addition to one’s own sizeable pay check.)—but most of the time it simply felt frustrating. 

 “Excuse me, Dr. Jewell?  Er…  these… visitors would like to see the patient.”

Glancing behind her assistant, Dr. Jewell caught sight of something VERY odd.  Three teenagers stood a short distance away, viewing the chaotic scene with detached amusement.  Clad neither in the spandex of most Leaguers, nor in the purple coveralls of the staff, they stood out markedly as strangers.  The blonde girl’s purple exposed midriff and skirt were not so unusual—indeed, they vaguely resembled those of the Tamaranian who had been through here earlier—but the pale boy’s outfit was somewhat more bizarre.  How many BOYS wore a short jacket like that?   Not to mention his hand… it was all bandaged up.

The last girl… the last girl was dressed sensibly enough—for ancient Japan, at least—but… her hair.  It was pink.

Seriously, pink hair?

Ah, whatever.  It wasn’t like she had’t seen stranger.  The pink hair probably reflected her ability to shoot flames or something.  So the girl was a meta.  More from the Teen Titans?  These younger heroes didn’t all take to the same spandex-aesthetic that their forebears did.

As she watched, the pink-haired girl (who had a decided air of command about her), glanced about the room and frowned.  “ _'Nante sobokuna dougu, ne_?” she commented to the others.  Then, catching sight of Dr. Jewell, she strode forward.

                “I am Haruno Sakura.”  She offered, with a little bow.  “I would like permission to examine the patient, please.”

                Dr. Jewell blinked.  “I’m sorry?”

                “I may not look it, but I am actually quite a qualified medic in my world.”  A hint of fire came into the girl’s green eyes.  “Though I know this seems irregular, I know the… person who attacked him, and I may be able to shed some new light on the subject.”

                Dr. Jewell considered it a moment.  “Well, I suppose so.”  She stepped aside, reminding herself.  _It’s all up for grabs at this point, anyway_.  “Gentlemen, the League has sent someone down to look into the matter.” 

                Without so much as a glance, the pink-haired girl strode through the assembled doctors.  She gave a smile to the rather confused Beast Boy, then immediately began diagnosis, feeling for his pulse, glancing down his throat, shining a light into his eyes, and having him cough while she felt his chest.

                Though the girl might be wasting her time, there was no mistaking her efficient, professional manner.  Grinning, Dr. Jewell reflected that if nothing else, the girl certainly was a competent medic. 

                At that moment, the girl laid her hands on the boy’s chest and closed her eyes.  Slowly, her hands began to glow with a strange light.

                “Hey… what are you doing?”  Beast Boy glanced up at Sakura and then back at his chest.  “Th-that… that kinda tingles.”

                The girl ignored him, her forehead furrowing in concentration.  Then she opened her eyes and a triumphant expression flashed across her face.  “ _Buta-chan_ ,” said she, beckoning to the blonde. “ _Hai, yattemite Buta-chan.”_

                Hesitantly, the blonde stepped forward and placed her hands where Sakura’s had been.  Her hands began to glow also.  

“ _Nanka kanjiruno_?” asked the pink-haired one, expectantly.

“ _U-un, nanimo kanjinai_ ,” said the blonde, shaking her head as she stepped away.  “ _Hitai-chan no chakura osae wa mada atashi yori umai date_.”  Apparently she was unable to find whatever the other had.

                “ _Noroi fuuin no chi wa hara ni iruno da. Kitto sore wa kare ni sawatte iru_.” responded Sakura, seemingly in explanation.  Glancing over at Beast Boy, she asked: “You’ve got some blood from an acquaintance of ours—Juugo, a powerful shapeshifter—in your body.  Did you ingest it, or did they inject you with some?”

                “Um…”  Beast Boy frowned in thought.  “I don’t remember being injected with anything… I guess… I bit him a lot, I guess I might’ve swallowed some of it…”

                The girl gave a relieved sigh.  Turning to the other doctors, she explained.  “Juugo’s blood was a transforming agent, it may be interfering with this one’s abilities.  I’m not sure, but I believe if we remove the blood, it should at least temporarily solve the problem.  May I have a bowl of clean water?”

                “Water?” came an incredulous voice from behind Dr. Jewell’s shoulder.

                “Just get it.”  Dr. Jewell snapped to her assistant.  This girl seemed to know what she was doing, and at least she seemed to have a better feel for things than most of the other doctors did.

                A few moments later, several bowls of filtered water sat waiting on a table.  The pink-haired girl dipped a finger into it and frowned before quickly launching into a babble of Japanese with the blonde.  Though the blonde seemed somewhat taken aback, she quickly nodded to whatever the other girl had asked for.

A trifle bothered by the reaction, Dr. Jewell stepped forward.  “Do you need any help, Miss Haruno?”

“No, I’m fine, thank you.”  The girl shook her head.  “There’s something funny with the water, but it shouldn’t cause any problems.  The substance is fairly easy to remove.  If the blood had been directly injected, things might’ve been serious, but as he swallowed it, his digestive system might’ve broken it down some.  Trust me, I’ve done more research into this blood and it’s affects than just about anyone in the world.”

The last sentence piqued Dr. Jewell’s interest.  “Really?  Why is that?”

The girl leaned forward for one of the bowls, obscuring her expression from the doctor’s view.  “Personal reasons.  Alright, I’m all ready now.  Ino?”

Nodding, the blonde placed both her glowing hands over one of the bowls.  Her brow furrowed in concentration and slowly, before the medical staff’s eyes, she drew out the water into a swirling orb floating between her hands.  She held it out to Sakura, who reached forward and took it (the exchange seemed to require a bit of concentration from both, but was handled fairly well), carrying it over to the bed.  “Oh.”  She said, catching sight of Beast Boy’s startled gaze.  “I forgot to mention… you may want to hold him down.  This will probably hurt a bit.”

 _Hold him down?_  

What happened next was truly surreal. As far as Dr. Jewell could tell, the girl was drawing the water directly through the boy’s body, isolating and removing any elements of the “foreign substance” that she could find.  The water flowed from the orb in the girl’s one hand and entered the boy’s body perfectly clear.  On the other side of the body, it emerged dark and polluted, collecting into another orb around the girl’s other hand.

Three times the girl repeated the process, dumping the polluted samples into a new bowl the blonde held out.  The entire time, Beast Boy was uttering tiny whines—but struggling surprisingly little.  Finally Haruno Sakura stood back, her forehead damp with sweat.  “That’s all I can do.”  She panted, gesturing to the shapeshifter.  “Go ahead.  Try it again.”

Beast Boy bit his lip, but raised his good arm nonetheless.  The fur flattened back, formed into scales on an arm that was growing longer, thinner, less rigid…

And suddenly there was a green octopus in the operating room, hugging Haruno Sakura for all it was worth.  “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”  It crowed in affectionate tones.  “Oh MAN, you have NO idea how good it feels after…”

“Get off me,” growled the medic.  “NOW.”

The octopus blanched at the girl’s voice.  “Uh, right, you got it.” It said, slithering off the girl in a moment and regrouping as a green-skinned teenager sitting on the hospital bed.  “How… how’d you do that?” he asked, scratching his head in a comical fashion.

Haruno Sakura shrugged.  “It’s just something I can do.”

 

* * *

 

                _“So what exactly can this Sasuke friend of yours do?”  They needed to catalogue powers, get an idea of the threat they faced._

_The blonde one—Naruto, Batman reminded himself—shrugged wearily.  “Lots.”_

_“His sharingan grants him the ability to instantly copy any techniques or moves he sees,” answered Sakura, the boy’s partner.  Batman had already singled them out as the two most valuable source of information.  “He trained for three years under a master of all of them.  Generally, though, he focuses on fire-based and lightning-based attacks.”_

_Batman nodded, that fit with his own experience.  “This sharingan… that’s the same eye your sensei has, correct?”  Several heads nodded in response.  “Can he do that teleportation thing also?”_

_“Unlikely.”  This time it was the bug-user, Aburame, who spoke up.  “Why?  If he had, this world would have experienced more disruption than it has.  Also, if Uchiha Sasuke has mastered the teleportation technique, logically he ought to be able to reverse it.  He would not still be here if he could.”_

_Time to get some real information.  “In the meantime, what else can this eye of his do?”_

_“In its base form, it just accelerates reaction time and allows the bearer photographic memory.  It also can perform simple illusions.  However, Sasuke has awakened a heightened version of it… they call it the Mangekyou Sharingan.”_

_“Really.”  This Sakura had done her research.  “And what can that do?”_

_A shrug in response.  “According to Kakashi-sensei, it has a heightened illusionary ability called Tsukuyomi, where the victim is more or less teleported to a state of mind where the user controls space and time.  It’s a very effective interrogation technique.”_

_“The guys from the Kage summit said he had some other stuff too…”  Naruto frowned.  “Amaterasu—black flames that can’t be extinguished—and Susanoo—some kind of massive figure that surrounds him and absolutely protects him.  They said he combined them to make some kind of black flaming monster, pretty wild.”_

_Interesting.  “And how…”_

_“Kage summit?”  That was Clark, distracted as always by the evil involved.  “Like… a diplomatic meeting?  He attacked them?”_

_Naruto’s face grew dark.  “Yeah.  He was after the current Hokage, Shimura Danzou, who was attending the summit.  The Kages beat him off, but Sasuke caught him on the way back and killed him.  We caught up just a little too late… Madara was just making off with the body when we arrived.”_

_“Madara?”_

_“Uchiha Madara, one of the founders of Konoha and current leader of the terrorist organization Akatsuki.  Sasuke is his… understudy, as much as the term applies.”  Shino adjusted his glasses._

_Naruto nodded.  “He rescued Sasuke and his team from the Kage Summit.  Talked to the Kages, too, about some ‘Moon’s Eye Plan’ he has that’s going to throw the world into an eternal illusion and control everyone so he could guarantee world peace or something…”_

_“Villains do monologues on your world too?”  laughed Flash, cocking an eyebrow.  “I don’t get it.  You’d think they’d catch on how stupid it is to tell people what you’re going to do.”_

_“It WAS kinda weird.”  Naruto agreed._

_Batman’s mind was somewhere else.  Plans that involved controlling the entire world were nothing new, but ones that could control the fabric of reality were not._

_Why did that sound so familiar?_

* * *

 

                “Explain.”  Waller’s face was hard.  “How would Luthor have gotten this Anti-Life equation?  And why bring it out only to give it to Darkseid?”

                “More to the point, if he had it—if both of them had it—why not use it?  I thought you said it gave them complete control of existence.”

                Batman gave a silent nod.  “Exactly.  It doesn’t make any sense.  If Luthor had the equation before the fight, he should have never been driven to contact us and confront Darkseid, so I can only assume he found it sometime during the fight.”  He held up a hand to forestall questions.  “How, I don’t know.  But it’s the only reason I can think for not bringing it out sooner.”

                “Which still leaves us with the question of WHY he brought it out, and WHY he used it like… that.”  Superman frowned.  “He could have taken over the world with it.  Why didn’t he?”

                “OR maybe he DID and we just don’t KNOW about it!”  Grinning cheekily, Flash leaned back.  “Maybe we’re all in some Luthor-controlled reality and he’s playing sick little mind games with us.  Huh?  Huh?”

                “In that case, he would not have wanted to capture the ninjas, nor would he have allowed one to escape.”  Mr. Terrific shook his head.

                “Plus, it seems like a Luthor-controlled world would be more blatant, not hidden,” pointed out Superman.  “Like you said, he’s an egomaniac.  If he was ruling the world,he’d want us to KNOW about it.”

                Flash slumped in his chair.  “Bummer.  There goes that theory.”  Suddenly his eyes brightened.  “Unless he’s just MAKING you all refute my brilliant idea to keep me from finding out the truth!”

                “Bats, how come you kept this information to yourself?”  Ignoring Flash’s outburst, Green Lantern turned on the Dark Knight.  “Why didn’t you do anything about it?”

                Batman’s response was a glare.  “Who said I haven’t been doing anything about it?  I don’t just sit around in my cave admiring the stalactites.  I’ve been working on countermeasures for some time.  But, as for why I didn’t tell the League, there was simply no point.  If Luthor had the equation, as Flash pointed out, you would be under his control.  If he did not, my theory was moot.”

                “You still could have told us your ideas.”  J’onn admonished.

                A snort came in response.  “I told you my ‘idea’ that Luthor wasn’t dead.  Did any of you listen to that?”

                An uncomfortable silence filled the conference room. 

                “Exactly.  I work best alone.  The only thing I might have accomplished would be perhaps a few more wisecracks from Flash and a few more ludicrous ‘leads’ from Plastic Man.  There was no point to telling anyone at the League, so I kept it to myself.”  Batman leaned back.  “Now that the facts are relevant again, I might as well tell you about them, but even now, they’re rather useless.  The only thing I can deduce is that the Anti-Life equation did not function as expected.”

                “OR it functioned EXACTLY as expected!”

                “Flash, be quiet.”  Superman groaned and pressed his fingers to his head.  “Let’s stick to basics for the moment,okay?  Luthor’s alive, perhaps in possession of the Anti-Life equation, which may or may not do what it was supposed to.  That just makes it all the more crucial that we find him and the three ninjas in his power.”  Glancing up, he pointed at J’onn.  “Put the word out to all League members that Luthor is back.  Any and all information possibly related to him or his organization is to be directed to the Watchtower.  We’ll need the government’s cooperation also.” He nodded to Waller, who inclined her head slightly.  “And… Lois?  Could you please try to keep this out of the papers?”

                “You think I CAN?”  Lois (who technically should not have been present), raised an eyebrow.  “You’re giving out information to a every member of a multi-national taskforce, including glory-hounds like Booster Gold, and you think I can keep the media from finding out about it?”

                Pleadingly, Superman gazed at her, and Lois finally sighed.  “Fine.  I won’t write anything for the _Planet_.  But you owe me a headline.  A BIG headline.”

                “Done.”  Superman turned back to the table.  “Any other questions?  Green Lantern?”

                “What’re we going to do with them?”  asked the ex-marine.  “I mean… we’re not keeping them here, I got that, but… you can’t honestly expect us to let a couple of dimensional visitors like that just wander loose around Metropolis.”

                Hawkgirl nodded.  “At the very least, they’re going to need someone to help them adjust to the outside world.  If the wrong one gets peeved, we could end up with another smashed city square to handle.”

* * *

 

                _“‘Chakra.’”  The dark-skinned man standing just off the table frowned in thought.  “Interesting.  We do have something we CALL chakra in our world, but it sounds very different from yours.  It’s more a…” there was a touch of disdain in his voice “…religious thing than an actual energy.”_

_A snort came from the winged woman (seriously, wings?) seated next to the green man, but the archer leaning against the wall seemed interested.  “You think they’re the same thing, maybe?  I mean, we have heroes here who get power from synching with nature and tapping into chi energies, maybe we could use chakra…”_

_“You don’t have chakra.  I can sense chakra, and you don’t have it,” interrupted Neji._

_“Oh.”  Looking slightly nonplussed, the archer shrugged and glanced away.  “Worth a try.”_

_Grinning, Naruto looked around.  Some of his friends looked a trifle anxious about how much he was giving away, but Neji, Sakura, and Hinata looked perfectly easy about it.  Lee, of course, was just grinning from ear to ear and beaming at all the spandex-clad people about him._

_They needed to get Lee out of here.  It just couldn’t be good for him._

_A cough from the stretcher-bound man interrupted his thoughts.  “If this chakra powers all your attacks, then the power and amount of your attacks is limited by your amount of chakra, correct?”_

_“Sure.”  Naruto shrugged.  That was pretty basic academy stuff._

_“I see.”  The man gave a short nod.  “So explain something to me.  I fought four of your friends earlier, and Uchiha Sasuke after that.  I can guess Uchiha has fairly strong chakra reserves, simply by comparing him to the others.  But from what I’ve seen of your fight with Superman…”  The man’s eyes narrowed.  “…you must have a phenomenal amount of chakra.  Much greater than Uchiha, incredibly greater than your friends.  And, I’m guessing, many times greater than what a normal ninja should have.”_

_The room was dead quiet.  The heroes mostly looked puzzled, unable to see what the dark-caped man was driving at.  The ninjas, however, sat tense, still, and ramrod-straight.  A few anxious glances were darting between them._

_“So what’s the story?  That sort of power can’t be natural, not even in your world.  You all have taken onto the idea of ‘metas’ rather well, and I’m guessing that we’re not the first ‘above the norm’ individuals you’ve heard of.”  The dark man’s eyes bored into his soul.  “All of you are already meta-class individuals, and if you are, as I think, exceptional even among them, then it’s essential that we know.  NOW.”_

_Shino spoke up immediately.  “Uzumaki-san’s abilities are a matter of Konoha national security.”_

_“Interesting.”  Now it was the fat black woman speaking.  “But as said ‘matter of national security’ happens to be within another nation, that makes it a matter of our national security that we know.”_

_Thinking quickly, Naruto opened his mouth.  “It’s a special technique I can use… it’s called Sage mode.  I attune myself to the natural energy surrounding me and use it to augment my strength and invulnerability.  Anyone can do it, but it requires intensive and specialized training.”_

_Batman was obviously not satisfied.  “Then why have none of your friends undergone this training?”_

_“Na-Naruto-kun works harder and faster than anyone.”  That was Hinata._

_“He also attracted the attention of a gifted instructor.”  Shino adjusted his glasses.  “The secret of Sage Mode is taught only to a few, and even fewer master it.”_

_There was a short moment of silence.  The heroes, who seemed to be following Batman’s lead, all glanced at him to see what he thought of the explanation.  After a few moments, he nodded.  “We have some here who work by attuning themselves to natural energies… it’s possible, I suppose.  So this makes you invulnerable and boosts your strength?”_

_“Yes.  Boosts my chakra too, and renders me conscious of my surroundings in all directions.”_

_“Anything else?”_

_“Uh… no.”_

_“You’re sure?”_

_“Yessss…” Naruto was growing uneasy.   WAS there anything else?_

_“Then how do you explain your unnatural rate of healing?”  Before Naruto could answer he pressed on.  “And the strange markings on your stomach?  Our medics wondered about them.  And why are you all so anxious to present an explanation that moments ago you were all hiding?”_

_Shino was on his feet.  “Batman-san, I must protest…”_

_“Oh, don’t bother, Shino.”  Sighing, Naruto waved his friend down.  “They got us, we may as well tell them.   Might as well get it over with anyway, they’ll find out eventually.”  Turning to the man, he looked directly into his eyes and responded.  “I’m a jinchuuriki.  A demon host.  I have the spirit of the nine-tails fox sealed within my body, and I can draw pretty much any amount of chakra I want from it.”  He stared defiantly into the man’s eyes.  “That’s who I am.”_

_There was a short silence._

_“A demon host?”  questioned the caped man.  He sounded almost disappointed.  “Is that all?”_

_“Oh brother…”    the black-skinned man rolled his eyes._

_“Seems a bit different from ours.”  Superman frowned.  “That makes, what, two?”_

_“Three.”  Batman shook his head.  “You’re forgetting Blue Devil.”_

* * *

 

                “So…  anyway, sorry for smashing your legs and everything.”

                The creature snorted.  “If it comes to that, sorry for trying to spear you through the heart and banish your demon.  It was a fight.  Mistakes happen.”

                There was a short moment of silence.  Naruto perched on the chair beside a bed containing the blue-skinned psycho he had fought earlier.  Even knowing that the man was a demon host, Naruto couldn’t help but feel a little wierded out.  Not only was the guy covered in blue scales, but he had long sprouting horns, a forked tail, and a strange little beard that made him look almost silly.  And, even if the man DID seem a lot more friendly now that he’d learned about Naruto, his glowing eyes still looked kinda freaky.

                But still.  He was part demon, and that made him okay in Naruto’s book.

                “So you’ve got a demon ‘sealed’ in you, hmm?”  At Naruto’s nod the man shook his head.  “That’s a new one on me.  I’ve seen demons sealed in jars, bottles, pits, and lamps, but people… I didn’t know you could do that.  What does that mean, exactly?”

                Naruto shrugged.  “Well… it means I heal from injuries  quickly, and that I have a crazy amount of energy, and that I can draw on more if I need to.  Oh, and if I get mad or upset, I turn into a monster that destroys anything nearby.”

                “Hm.”  The man grunted.  “So you get the demonic powers, but not control over them.”  Giving a shrug, he added: “still, I take it you’re not damned to hell for them.”

                “I don’t… think so, no.”  Some of the villagers had suggested this to Naruto, but he’d never looked into the specifics, and the Third had never said anything about it.

                “Sounds like a pretty good deal, then,” mused the man, and at Naruto’s incredulous look, he shrugged.  “Well, suffering persecution during this life is bound to be better than suffering it for eternity.  The couple times I’ve been to hell… it ain’t pretty, kid.

                “You’ve been to hell?”  Naruto had a vague understanding of what the man was talking about, but his knowledge of hell was shaky at best.

                “Part of being a demon.  Well, a man turned into a ‘demon-with-a-soul,’ I suppose.”

                “You can turn a man into a demon?”  Naruto was flabbergasted.  Sealing demons he’d knew about, and being in harmony with your demon he’d heard of, but… actually becoming a demon?

                His surprise did not last long.  “No, not really.”  The man/demon/neither answered.  “I suppose, essentially, I’m still a man under all this.  I’m just a man with demonic powers who’s damned to hell.  Oh, and I have the horns and tail.”

“Are they important?”

                “Important?  Nah.  Neither does anything particularly special.  They’re just memoirs of my deal with Neron.  Gave them to me so EVERYONE could tell I was a flesh and blood demon.”  The man grunted.  “Don’t ever make deals with demons, kid, not even your own.  They ALWAYS screw you over.”

                Naruto nodded in compliance, but something was still bothering him.  “So those are supposed to show you’re a demon?”  At Blue Devil’s nod, he  exploded: “But that’s crazy!  Demons don’t look like that!”

                “Of course not.  Demons are spiritual creatures, they can look like whatever they like.  Neron just chose this form to remind everyone else what I am, and to torment me particularly.”  Grunting again, Blue Devil folded his arms across his chest.  “Trust a demon to take the religious angle.”

                “Religous…?”

                “I’m Catholic, kid.  Do you think I enjoy looking like this?  I can’t go to church anymore, or take communion, or even say the Lord’s prayer without burning myself up.”

                Blinking, Naruto asked, “What’s a ‘Catholic,’ and what are churches?”

                  “You’re kiddin…”  The man glanced at Naruto and shook his head.  “Okay, you’re not.”  He sighed.  “When I gets out of this hospital bed, I’m going to have a long talk with you.”

                There was another long silence, broken this time by the man.  “So.”  He said finally.  “What do demons do back where you come from?”

                “Break things, mostly.  Destroy countries and stuff.”

                “That seems awfully simple for them,” frowned Blue Devil.  “So what’d you seal one into you for?”

                Naruto frowned in response.  “I didn’t.  My dad sealed it inside me.  Villages use guys like me as big weapons.”  A grin crossed his face for a moment.  “But my dad had a LOT more in mind than that.”

                Eyebrows raised, Blue Devil asked, “So you don’t ask for it?  Your government gives it to you?”  At Naruto’s shrug, he grunted.  “Well.  Guess that does stink, then.  I at least made a deal for my powers… I knew what I was doing.  You’ve got it rougher than I thought.  Sorry kid.”

                “No problem.”  Naruto grinned.  “I’m sorta used to it by now.”

                “Hm.  Yeah, I guess it does sorta grow on ya.”

                “So what do you do with your… demon?”  Naruto eyed Blue Devil curiously.

                Frowning, Blue Devil glanced up.  “Told ya.  I don’t HAVE a demon, I AM one—for all intents and purposes, anyway.  But I use my powers as a demon to send other ones back to hell.  That’s what the pitchfork…”  he nodded to where it was hanging on the wall.  “…is for.”

                “Whoah.”  Naruto glanced as the object.  “Is that what you were gonna do to me?”

                “Yeah,” came the nod.  “Sorry.”

                “Don’t sweat it.  Don’t know if it would have worked anyway.”

                “Prob’ly not,” agreed the other.  “So, if you’re a demon host, what’s your friend?”

                “Friend?”  A small ‘eep!’ made Naruto turn, and he instantly understood what Blue Devil was talking about.  “Oh!  Hi Hinata!  When’d you get here?”

                Chuckles broke loose from Blue Devil.  “She came in here with you, kid.  Right behind you.  Don’t you remember?”

                “I thought you went with Shino and Neji,” said Naruto, pointedly ignoring Blue Devil’s question.  It was really kinda freaky how quiet Hinata could be at times.  She must be a great ninja for stealth, to be able to sneak up on people like she did with him.

                At the moment, though, she simply stood there, blushing red and tapping her fingers together.  “I… I thought somebody should go with you.” She murmured.

                “So what are you?” asked Blue Devil, who seemed amused by something.

                Hinata blinked.  “Hyuuga Hinata.” She answered, bowing.

                “No, no, not who are you.”  The horns wagged back and forth.  “I mean, what are you?”

                This time, both Hinata and Naruto stared at him.

                “Ya mean ya don’t know?”  Blue Devil’s glowing eyes widened.  “That’s weird.  That’s really weird.”

 

* * *

                

_“Getting back to Sasuke,”  Superman broke into Green Arrows list of supernaturally-enhanced heroes, “There’s something we need to know.  Can he do this jutsu of your sensei’s?”_

_“Not yet.  It’s an original jutsu of Kakashi-sensei’s, and Sasuke’s never seen it before.”  Suddenly Naruto frowned.  “He WILL learn it, though.  He’ll be trying to find a way to get back.”_

_“So basically, if we give him enough time to figure it out, he’ll leave on his own.”  Green Lantern shrugged.  “Problem solved.”_

_But the ninjas were shaking their heads.  “We must find him before he has the chance to.”  Neji indicated._

_Superman blinked.  “Why?”_

_Deciding to re-enter the conversation, Batman spoke up.  “Because this Sasuke is a threat to their village.  If he goes back there and these kids aren’t there to stop him, their village is toast.”  He glanced at the teenagers.  “Correct?”  A few heads nodded hesitantly.  “Thus, they want him to stay here.”_

_“But blast it, we can’t just KEEP the kid here.”  Looking askance, Green Lantern threw up his hands.  “He’s a major threat, we’re not running some kind of prison colony.”_

_“The UN will not sanction the holding of interdimensional criminals.  Caliban was bad enough, we’re not hanging onto any more of them.”  Waller tapped the end of her pen on the desk to emphasize the point._

_Fortunately the ninjas did not seem inclined to argue the point.  “Naturally,” nodded Shino.  “Uchiha Sasuke is a missing-nin of Konoha, and Konoha must deal with him.  But also we cannot allow him to return before us.”_

_“We can help with that.  We’re looking for him already.”  Superman assured them.  “Once we find him, we’ll place him and his confederates in your hands to be tried back in Konoha.”_

_A bare arm raised up in the arm, and Batman irritably noted its owner—Sai, the androgynous ninja with the creepy smile.  “How do you intend to return us to Konoha, honorable gentlemen?”  he asked, another false grin spreading across his face.  “Perhaps I have missed it, but I do not recall hearing about how that is to occur.”_

_“It’s… going to be tricky.”  Superman admitted, glancing over to Mr. Terrific._

_“But not impossible.”  Mr. Terrific offered a short nod.  “As we mentioned, we’ve had experience with interdimensional affairs before.  There are a few experimental portals that Batman has designed… with a little work they could be open a link to your world.”_

_A sudden frown crossed his face.  “The difficulty, of course, will be connecting to YOUR world.  Most links we’ve done are between Earths similar to our own.  Yours is obviously very different, and thus will be much more difficult.  However, with enough time and resources…”  Mr. Terrific gestured.  “It can be done.”_

_There was a short silence as the ninjas mulled over this.  “And how long will it take you to build this gateway?”_

_“Impossible to say for certain.”  The scientist admitted.  “A few months, at best.”_

 

* * *

 

                “So what on earth are we going to do with them in the meantime?”  Hawkgirl exploded.  “We can’t just let them run loose out there!”

                Lois’ eyes narrowed.  “Clark, if you…”

                “We’re not keeping them here,” replied Superman, closing his eyes.  “That’s not up for debate.  Just because they’re powerful doesn’t mean they’re dangerous.  They seem disciplined, they can handle themselves, and they know they can—somewhat—rely on us.”

                Green Arrow snorted.  Grinning, Lois threw a somewhat smug look at Hawkgirl.

                But Superman wasn’t done.  “On the other hand, Shayera has a good point also.  We can’t just ‘let them run loose out there.’  Not only because they’re incredibly powerful, but because they’re incredibly LOST.  They don’t really know where they are or what to do.”  Opening his eyes, Superman glanced at Lois.  “How long do you think Hinata would have lasted on the streets without you?”

                Lois looked a little uncomfortable.  “She’s a smart girl…”

                “But she doesn’t know anything about the place.”  Wonder Woman nodded.  “Anyone could take advantage of that.  Scam artists, the media, politicians…”

                “Luthor,” added Batman darkly.

                “…supervillians too.”  Wonder Woman agreed.

                “Their lack of knowledge also renders their power inherently dangerous.”  J’onn’s voice entered the conversation.  “With the difference between Earth customs and their own, it is highly likely they may commit a crime without trying to, or feel some well-meaning person has committed a crime against them.”

                “Which leaves us with a crater in downtown Metropolis.”

                Amanda Waller gave a short nod.  “They have essentially the same status as foreign nationals—some sort of watch will need to be set on them, and probably some officials to help assimilate them into the world.”

                “They’re not likely to trust anybody WE offer,” pointed out Green Arrow.

                Batman snorted.  “This all has nothing to do with me.”  He said, picking up the remote to his motorized stretcher.  “Let me know what you decide to do with the kids, I’m going to check on the situation in the infirmary.”

                The others watched as Batman’s stretcher slowly drove out of the room, then returned to table.  “So what do we do?”  Superman glanced at the others.  “Ideas?”

                “Give them a building in Metropolis, where we can keep an eye on them.”  Green Lantern offered.  “Gives them free access, but helps us to contain any disasters.”

                Lois scoffed.  “Try getting THAT past City Council.”

                “How about a place in the country then?”

Superman thought about it.  “It WOULD keep culture clash to a minimum, and limit any possible disasters.  We wouldn’t be able to observe the situation, though.  If Luthor struck, we’d have little time to respond.”

                “I don’t suppose you’ll want to listen, but I do have one idea.”  Grunting, Waller heaved herself up.  “The government could possibly furnish a facility that…”

                “No.”

                Waller shrugged resignedly.  “As you wish.”

                “How about a moon base?”

                “NO, Flash.”  Superman rubbed his eyes.  “Any other ideas?  Anyone?”

                A silence descended over the conference room.

 

* * *

 

                _“So… what do we do now?”  Naruto glanced around the room._

_Superman cleared his throat.  “Well, until this 'Sasuke' is found and the portal built, there’s not really much else we can do, I’m afraid.  I suppose you’ll simply have to get used to living here.”_

_“Not ‘here’ as in ‘here’ of course.”  He added hastily, seeing the dark expressions being sent at him.  “Or rather… I suppose if you wanted to…  But what I meant was, you shall have to spend some time HERE in this WORLD.  Getting used to it.”_

_“Sasuke is a matter for Konoha to deal with,” responded Shino.  “Why?  Certain attachments between him and members of our party make it dangerous for others to kill him.”_

_“We’re not going to kill him.  We’re just going to capture him and hand him over to you.”_

_Shino gave a short nod.  “Still.  We must insist on doing our part in hunting down the Uchiha.”_

_“Not possible, I’m afraid.”  Superman shook his head.  “You guys don’t know the territory or the people here.  Your normal tracking methods may not even work.  No, you’d best leave him to us.  We have a network already set up, it shouldn’t take long.”_

_“But I must…”_

_“Shino.”  Naruto waved the Aburame into silence.  “Don’t bother.”  It’s not like they were going to actually follow what these people told them anyway._

_Giving Naruto a grateful nod, Superman returned to his speech.  “In any case, you’re all free to go.”  Several of the ninjas smiled, but most remained tense.  “We may need some of you to help Mr. Terrific building the portal, but outside of that, I suggest you just relax and enjoy your time here.  Don’t worry about Luthor, we’ll find him and your friends soon.”_

_“Huh.”  That was Sakura.  “And where do you propose we ‘relax’ while you’re doing all this?”_

_Superman paused, clearly wondering about the same thing.  “Well.” He said finally.  “I suppose you COULD stay here in the Metro Tower…”_

_“NO.”_

_“Not happening.”_

_“We respectfully decline.”_

_Naruto stood up.  “Look, thanks, but no thanks, okay?   From the looks of things, NONE of us have had good memories of this place.”_

_Also standing to her feet, Sakura added, “Let us know if you’ve got any better ideas.  In the meantime, we’re outta here.”_

_One by one, the ninjas filed out of the conference room._

 

* * *

 

                Sakura examined the red-clad boy a moment and frowned, then put her fingers together.  “ _Kai!_ ” 

                Eyelids flashed open.  A glance to the left, then to the right, and finally the young vigilante seemed to relax.  “Metrotower?”  He asked Sakura.

                “Yes.”  Sakura nodded.  “This is the Metrotower.  You…”

                “Roooooobin!!”  An orange blur dashed past Sakura and engulfed her former patient.  “You are well!  You are no longer the non-conscious!  Thank Oflgar!”

                Robin blinked at his Tamaranian girlfriend.  “Hi Star.  Um, what…”

                “And you!”  The girl whirled around and faced Sakura.  “Thank you, most honored physician of the pink-hair, for you have returned Robin to health and vigor!”  A second later Sakura found herself engulfed in a similar bone-crushing hug.  “Oh, this is truly joyous!”

                Sakura struggled to find words.  “Uh… you’re welcome?”  The odd orange flying girl had run into them just outside Beast Boy’s room.  Upon hearing what they had done there, she had instantly begun pleading with them to help ‘also friend Robin, who was lying sick without the consciousness and the medics did not know what to do.’ 

Really, Sakura hadn’t needed much convincing, but the girl had practically dragged her there anyway.  After that, the problem was relatively simple to solve—it was a genjutsu, a minor one, just enough to keep the victim out of things.  Easy to figure out.

The girl?  Not so much.

“So.”  The red one—Robin—sat part up in bed.  “Was it Batman?”

Sakura blinked.  “I’m sorry?”

“Yes it was, friend Robin!”  The orange girl nodded excitedly.  “He broke into the cell with friend Raven and I!  I recognized not him, so I performed the disintegration beam, but he dodged and stopped me.  Then he…”

Sakura stared at the strange girl as she rattled on all that she had heard about the battle at Titan’s Tower.  _Batman?  As in the Batman that attacked us?  He rescued these guys?_   So Batman had fought Sasuke in order to rescue these teenagers, not merely for the fun of the thing.  He had come there to help.  _And got badly hurt doing it_ , she realized with a wince, recalling the stretcher.

The red-clad boy apparently had different thoughts.  “Blast him.”  He scowled.  “He always has to be babysitting me, doesn’t he?  Can’t trust me to handle things for myself.”  Shaking his head, he glanced back at Star.  “So they’re all safe?  Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy?”

“Yes, Robin.  They are all well.  Beast Boy was for a time badly injured, but this woman saved him.”

“Really?”  The teen gave Sakura a critical once-over.  “Thanks.  Gar can get carried away sometimes.”

“Least I could do.”  Sakura shrugged.  “After Sasuke trashed your guys’ base…”

Robin’s eyebrows shot up.  “Sasuke?  So you know red-eyes?”

“In a way.”  Sakura tried to keep her voice even.  “Or at least, I used to.”

“Hm.  How much do you know about him?”

Sakura shrugged.  “Oh… a good deal.”

“Good,” grinned Robin.   “We need data.  As soon as we’re out of the hospital here, I’ll need all the info you have.  We won’t be able to mount a pursuit and attack squad without a proper understanding of his powers and…”

“YOU won’t be able to mount a proper pursuit squad, period.”  A new voice broke into the conversation, and the others turned to watch a motorized stretcher coast into the room, carrying a familiar caped figure.  “Half your team is out and you’re not too good yourself.  I doubt you’ll even be able to keep Jump City under control for long.”

Robin’s eyes narrowed.  “Batman…”

“Temper, Robin.”  Batman cautioned him.  “Control the anger and release elsewhere.”  His eyes narrowed.  “I need to talk with you about the tower’s security measures.”

“I’m not interested in what you have to say.”

“I’m not interested in your lack of interest.  You’re going to hear it anyway.”  Batman turned to the others.   “You may leave now.”

Taking the hint, Sakura quickly left, dragging a (somewhat confused) Starfire with her.  “C’mon, I don’t think we’re exactly wanted here.”

“But I do not comprehend!  Friend Robin should be glad to meet our rescuer!  Why is he so angry?”

“Don’t look at me.  I just met him five minutes ago.”  Sakura grunted, plopping down on a bench next to Sai and Ino.  “Batman, though, I met yesterday, and if Robin knows him I can imagine he’d be grumpy.”

Starfire looked a little puzzled but shrugged it off.  “In any case, I must again offer my thanks for curing Robin.  I no longer have the sorrow, because of your efforts.  Thank you!”  She bowed.

“You’re welcome.”  Sakura gave a little grin.  This girl felt something like a female version of Lee.  “So tell me, what is he exactly?  Teammate of yours?”

The girl’s face nearly burst with happiness.  “Friend Robin is my morthlug opetim!”

 _Just when this world was making sense…_ “Pardon?”

“Oh!  I offer the apologies!  In this world, you would say, he is my boyfriend!”

“Ah.”  That made better sense.

Curiously, the girl almost seemed to sober after this declaration.  “I am most grateful,” she said quietly, “that he is so.  Robin can be hard upon himself, and somber.  He does not always have the joyness of heart that he should.”

“Really?”  Sakura glanced over at Sai and Ino, who seemed engaged in their task of wrapping Sai’s hand.  “Why is that?”

“He is lonely.  And suffering.”  The girl answered, and something about the way she said it made Sakura look up.  “He has suffered much, I can know, but he does not speak of it.  He holds it in.  He should not do so, it cannot be good for the sulgruns.”

“Naturally.”  Sakura wasn’t really paying attention to the words, but the gist of what Starfire was saying sounded frighteningly familiar.

“So I am glad.”  Starfire sighed.  “I am glad that he is my morthlug opetim, so that I may help him with this.  I feel the fear to think of what he might become if I did not.”

“Yes.”  Sakura nodded quietly.  “Yes, you should.”

Starfire glanced up curiously.  “What makes you use the tone of… Oh!”  She cried, glancing down the hallway, and immediately dashed off in a blur of orange and purple.  From down the hallway, Sakura could hear voices. 

“Get. Off. Of. Me.”

“Friend Raven!  It is most joyous to behold you again!”

“Star, I’m really not…”

“Oh!  You must come with me and meet the pink-haired one!  She is most kind and agreeable and you shall be great friends!”

“Doubtful.”

Sighing, Sakura glanced over at Ino.  “When were we supposed to meet the others?”

Ino checked her wrist.  “Another five minutes.”

“Suppose we should get moving then.”  Sakura stood up.  “Haven’t really learned anything, hope the others were…”

BANG!  The door smashed open and an irate Robin stalked out.  “I don’t need your advice, old man!”  He shouted back at the room.

“Suit yourself then,” came the reply, just audible enough for the others to hear.  “Good luck with Jump City while all your friends are on half-juice and your base is destroyed.”

Robin stepped back in again.  “We’ll. Take. Care. Of It.”  He growled, voice slightly muffled by the wall.

“I’m sure you will.  Especially with the other Titan cells so busy.”

“We’ll manage!”  Robin shouted, stepping back out.  “We’ll manage, and we’ll do it without you, or the Justice League, or Wayne Enterprises!”  He slammed the door.

Sai looked at Ino.  Ino looked at Sakura.  Sakura looked at Sai.

 Ignoring them, Robin walked over to Starfire, who had dashed over at the first sound.  “Star, we’re leaving.”  He ground out.  “Get the others to the flight deck and find a jet for us to use.”

“But, friend Robin, you are not…”

“Just do it.”  He growled.  “We’ll be fine.  We’ll find some help somewhere.”

“Excuse me.”

Turning, the two faced Sakura, who was gazing at them with a quizzical expression.

“We… may be able to help.”

* * *

 

                “A… superhero team?

                “The same team that Sasuke beat up. ” explained Sakura to the others.  “They’re all in pretty bad shape, and they need help until they’re back up to speed.  It seems like the least we can do, and besides, it’s a good place to pick up Sasuke’s trail.”

                “Sakura, we’ve been forbidden from pursuing Sasuke.”  Neji reminded her.

                Kiba rolled his eyes.  “And we were all so _totally_ planning on actually obeying that.”

                “Exactly.”  Nodding, Sakura gave Naruto a wry look.  “We’ll probably end up going there anyway, it seems we might as well have a good reason for it.”

                “That does make a certain amount of sense.  However, can we be certain these ‘Teen Titans’ are trustworthy?”  Shino quirked an eyebrow at her.

                A grin came in response.  “Not really a major issue, with half of them too badly wounded to really attack any of us.  But besides that, their leader HATES the league.  Especially Batman.  If that’s not trustworthy, I don’t know what is.”

                Chouji and Lee grinned in response.  Neji, predictably, had no reaction, but his mouth gave just the tiniest quiver.

                “Look, it’s the perfect situation.”  Time for the last appeal.  “They need fighters, we need guides.  We’re all familiar with fighting, and they’re all familiar with this world.  They even have a base for us to use, so there’s no need for us to run out and grab something.”  She glanced around the circle.  “So what do you guys think?”

                After some preliminary glancing around the circle, Naruto gave a nod.  “Sounds good.”

 

* * *

 

                “The Teen Titans jet has cleared the hangar, Batman.”

                Batman simply nodded. 

                J’onn studied his friend for a moment, then returned his attention to the screen.  “It appears all our worrying was for nothing.  They came up with a solution on their own.”

                “They’re smart kids,” grunted Batman noncommittedly.

                “Indeed.  They have found a solution that adequately satisfies all parties.  They will be both guided and supervised, by your apprentice no less.”  After watching Batman a few seconds more, J’onn added, “We did not even have to suggest it to them.”

                Batman shrugged.  “If we had, they would never have chosen it.”

                “True,” agreed J’onn.  “Fortunate that they were on hand to witness your argument with Robin.  Or that you had such an argument with Robin.”

                “Nothing new about Robin and I having an argument.”

                “Perhaps.  But such a curiously opportune one?”

                A shrug came in response.

                J’onn shook his head and once again looked at the screen.  “Your apprentice is very masterful.  How did you get him to agree to your plan?”

                A small smile curved Batman’s lips.  “I’m not so sure he knew it WAS my plan.”

  

* * *

 

                Juugo hauled himself, gasping, from the water.  Though unused to staying underwater for so long, he’d managed it through sheer desperation and force of will.  The strange visitors had finally left the island, and it was safe to come out of the water.

                Not to return to the island, though.  The island was far too dangerous, he had to find somewhere else to hide.  And he had to find Sasuke-sama.   Sasuke-sama must be hiding somewhere already, Juugo had merely to catch up.

                Quickly, Juugo reverted back into a human.  Couldn’t go walking about the streets looking like a gargoyle, after all.  He clambered onto the dock and began to move toward the lights of the city.

                _Thot._

                A sharp pinch at the back of his neck made him clap a hand to it, and there he found a strange dart-like syringe.  Where did…

                _Thot.  Thot.  Thot._

Too late, Juugo realized the danger.  He had no time to activate the curse seal as he slumped to the concrete, darkness covering his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Life is really busy right now, so updates will be intermittent.
> 
> Sakura's scene with Beast Boy is meant to be unclear, as the doctor doesn't know Japanese. But if you're curious,this is the translation.
> 
> "Nante henna dougu, ne?" -- "What bizarre equipment, huh?"
> 
> "Hai, yattemite Batu-chan. Nanka kanjiruno?" -- "Here, try it, Pig-chan. Feel anything?"
> 
> "U-un, nanimo kanjinai. Hitai-chan no chakura osae wa mada atashi yori umai datte." -- "No, nothing. Forehead-girl's chakra control is still much better than mine."
> 
> "Noroi fuuin no chi wa hara ni iruno da. Kitto sore wa kare ni sawatteriu." -- "He's got some of the curse seal blood in his stomach. That must be what's causing the problem."


	10. Acclimation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Konoha 11 settle into the Titans Tower. Or at least they try to.

 

            Shikamaru stared absently up at the ceiling.  _The softer bed is nice, but I should have remembered to ask for a window,_ he thought absently.  _Stupid white ceiling is stupid boring.  Least they could do is paint some clouds on it._

A slight hissing sound alerted him to the appearance of a familiar bald head.  Shikamaru gazed at him disinterestedly.  “Hey there.”

 “The guards tell me you’ve been complaining about how bored you are.”

Shikamaru shrugged, at least as much as he could with his arms still manacled in place.  “You try being handcuffed to a bed all day and night.  The least you could do is let me eat, or go to the bathroom.  This catheter gets old real fast, you know.”

“I imagine it does,” observed the man, surveying him coolly.  “But our deal was only for the bed, and I’m not about to let you out of those cuffs.”

“What,” Shikamaru allowed himself a grin.  “My one friend get you convinced that maybe I wasn’t bluffing after all?  Sounded like quite a ruckus he made out there.”

“On the contrary, the incident convinced me you WERE bluffing.  If your friend can do something like that, then I fail to see why you haven’t used your ‘comparable power’ to break loose and get somewhere less boring.”

Shikamaru yawned.  “Too troublesome.”

“Or too risky, perhaps.  Your friend found out how useless escape attempts are.”

“Pull the other one,” replied Shikamaru, rolling his eyes.  “You don’t have Naruto, he got loose.  Otherwise, why relocate your whole base?”  

“What makes you think I did?”  A touch of interest had come into the man’s face.

“Well one, this is a different room than I fell asleep in, duh.  Two, I heard an enormous amount of commotion just before I was drugged, and I woke up to the same commotion—moving material, I assume.  And three, the air here is different… drier, somehow.  I’d say we’re in a totally new location.”  Thoroughly enjoying himself, Shikamaru yawned again.  “The only reason you’d do that is if Naruto broke out of your old one.”

The man was now gazing at  him with a wholly new expression.  Almost a challenging one.  “Naruto, you say.  And how did you know it was Naruto that broke out?”

A flash of panic flitted across Shikamaru’s face.  “He’s the most reckless of my buddies.  The only one likely to try to break out.  I figured if anyone tried it, it would be him.”

“And you wouldn’t.”

“I could do it, I suppose, but it’d be a lot of bother, what with the guards and the weapons and all.  Besides, I told you, my power doesn’t work quite like my friend’s.  It’d be a tad more difficult.  Of course if this place gets any more boring…” he let the sentence fall.

For a moment the man stood there, contemplating him, an odd half-smile curling his lips.  “Boring, eh?”  He finally commented.  “Tell me, Mr. Nara… would you care to play a game of chess?”

* * *

 

            “So this vehicle is flying then.”

            Cyborg rolled his eyes.  “Yes, for the thirtieth time, this puppy is FLYING.  Proceeding at a velocity of approximately 500mph at a height of 10,000 feet above the ground.  That’s whatcha call flying, Mr. Eyes.  Anything else you wanna know?”

            Neji just kept staring around the plane, ignoring the chatter from his comrades in the back.  “Fascinating.  Do you build these flying machines yourself?”

            “Ha!”  A touch of a grin came into Cyborg’s face.  “You are talking to the master technician-slash-engineer-slash-all-out-GENIUS of the Teen Titans.  I make ‘em, rework ‘em, and FLY ‘em.”

            “He’s humble too,” commented Robin dryly.  “To answer your question, he didn’t make this specific one.  This is one of the Justice League’s standard Javelins.  All of our vehicles are still stuck at base.”

            “But you build vehicles similar to this one.”

            Robin shrugged.  “Sure.”

            “Wonderful.  Truly wonderful.”  Glancing around the room one final time, Neji gave a nod of respect to the two pilots.  “You are people who make your own fate and do not remain within the cage.  That is truly admirable.”

            Cyborg glanced at Robin.  Robin shrugged.

            “Dude, you are seriously hung up on this whole fate business, y’know?”

            A grin twitched around the corner of Neji’s mouth.  “I’ve been told that before, yes.”

            “Hey, you’re Robin, right?”

            Robin turned to confront the hyperactive blonde moving toward the front.  “That’s me, yes.  You’re… Naruto, correct?”

            “That’s me!”  The whisker-faced teen flashed a grin and a thumbs-up.  “Say, thanks for letting us crash at your place and all.  We were kinda stuck there for a minute.”

            “Not a problem.  We can use the help.  Was there something you wanted to ask me?”  Robin arched an eyebrow.

            “Ah… yeah.”  Laughing nervously, Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.  “That one friend of yours… does she hate me or something?  Or is she always like that?”

            Cyborg threw a quick glance over his shoulder.  “Who, Raven?  Nah, she’s like that to everyone.  Don’t sweat it.”

            Though Robin said nothing, he did not entirely agree with his friend’s assessment.  Something definitely seemed… off about Raven.  She’d been avoiding the blonde and his dark-haired shadow the entire trip.

            Speaking of which, where was the shadow?  The one girl—Hinata—was almost constantly around Naruto. 

            “I am most happy to make your acquaintance, fellow non-earthling!”

            Ah.  Glancing back, Robin caught sight of a very startled Hinata caught in the friendly embrace of a VERY enthusiastic Tamaranian.

            “Ummmm…. Th-th-thank you… but I…”

            “I feel we shall become great friends!”  Starfire’s happy yammering floated all the way to the front.  “You must come to my abode and play the scrabble, and then perhaps we shall go and partake of the shopping!  Friend Raven shall come too, will you not, friend Raven?”

            “Hmph.”

            “It is agreed then!  We shall journey upon the mall, and do much shopping, and partake of much ice-cream!”

            It was fortunate, Robin observed, that Star already knew Japanese.  He wasn’t sure how most of these teens would take to being kissed, even if it DID help her understand them.  And Star obviously wanted to understand ALL of their new visitors.  She had spent the entire trip rushing from one seat to another, trying to acquaint herself with their new “teammates.”   Understandable perhaps, she hadn’t had so many new friends in a long time.

            Still.  Robin felt that not all the visitors enjoyed the attention.  Fortunately the pink-haired girl—Sakura—knew her already, and Naruto seemed to be just as enthusiastic about making friends as Star.  But the one Shino guy had just cocked an eyebrow and moved away, and Neji had simply sat there.  Sai had smiled, but that had somehow looked even more disturbing.

            At least Beast Boy and the one Kiba kid seemed to have hit it off pretty well.  He could see them in the back, talking avidly—about dogs, he imagined, as every so often Gar would shift into one.

            Frowning, Robin wondered for the twentieth time whether this was really such a good idea.  New people raised new problems.  He wasn’t sure he or the team could handle ten new members, all unused to their routine, their way of life, their… well, ANYTHING really.  For people like Raven, the tower was already too small.  Ten new occupants weren’t going to help that.

            “Yo Robin.”  Cyborg’s voice broke into his thoughts.  “We’re coming up on Jump City, ETA 5 minutes.  Our usual landing pad is shot, so I’m just gonna land this puppy on the roof.”

            “Sounds good.”  Robin gave a short nod.  No point in worrying any further, he supposed.

 

* * *

 

            Sasuke cast a pensive glance out the window, watching the landscape speed past.  These mechanical wagons were marvelously efficient, he considered.  He could probably run faster than the vehicle he was in, but it was much less tiresome to ride.

            It also attracted much less attention.  After about two hours of walking along the highway, he’d been stopped twelve times by various people all (apparently) desiring that he ride with them.  Fortunately none had observed the sword underneath his trench coat.  Each time, Sasuke had declined.  He did not trust the machines, and could not rely on them to take him where he wanted to go, particularly when he could not pronounce the name of the city.  His lack of knowledge about the language hampered him severely, he had to admit.

However, Sasuke had discovered a language that EVERYONE understood.  Violence.

His current driver, a bearded man wearing slightly fogged glasses, had had the bad luck to come last in a string of three consecutive attempted pick-ups.  By that time, Sasuke had gotten so fed up, he decided to take the next one simply to drive the others away.

So when the man had pulled up alongside and rolled down the window, Sasuke whipped out his sword, held it to the man’s neck, and pulled out his map, pointing.  “Take me here.”

Whether the man had understood the words, Sasuke couldn’t tell.  But he’d certainly understood the intent.  They’d covered a hundred miles in what Sasuke assumed was record time before he grew tired of holding his sword to the man’s throat and simply placed him in a genjutsu.   Now they were driving along at a reasonable pace and the man was simply oblivious to him.  Much better.  He would get there in no time.

A flash of color disturbed his view as an open-topped Cadillac cruised into the lane next to them, and several laughing females called out to him.

Sasuke sighed and turned away.  _Couldn’t Kakashi have sent me to an EMPTY world?_

 

* * *

 

            “Wait so…”  Cyborg grappled for words.  “You guys are gonna just… all live in the same room?  Like with clothes and beds and everything?”

            Turning, Shino eyed him impassively.  “That is generally what living is termed as.”

            “But… all of you?”

            “Of course not!”  Kiba glanced up from where he was unrolling his bedroll.  “We’re divided up.  It’s just us three in this room.”

            “No, no…”  Cyborg shook his head.  They didn’t get it.  “What about… the girl?”

            “Who?”

            “You are speaking of Hinata-san?”

            “U-um… what about me?”

            “Well, you guys just can’t… I mean you don’t just…”  Desperately Cyborg appealed to Hinata.  “C’mon, girl, don’t you see the problem with this?”

            Hinata blinked.  “Should I?”

            “It’s just not…”   Groaning, Cyborg resisted the urge to bang his head into the already battered wall.  These guys were impossible!

            “Co-ed housing is somewhat unusual for us,” Robin’s voice floated helpfully over his shoulder.  “I mean, it’s done, but mostly for emergencies.”  He raised an eyebrow at the three.  “You do this a lot?”

            Kiba gave a shrug.  “Well, yeah.”

            “We move and camp as a team,” clarified Shino.  “Although I suppose Hinata generally does sleep apart from the rest of us, with Kurenai-sensei.”

            “There a problem?”  Naruto’s bright face appeared next to Robin’s.  “Hey guys.”

            “H-hello N-Naruto-kun.”

            “No, no problem.”  Robin assured the blonde.  “The housing arrangements are just a little… puzzling for us.  I guess we were thinking the guys and the girls would sorta… split up or something.”

            Naruto shrugged.  “We usually just all sleep together, I guess we were just thinking we could do the same here.  Technically I guess there’s no reason to.”

            “What’s going on in here?”  Sakura’s voice preceded her by a few seconds.  “Have you guys seen Sai?  He was looking for a room to set up camp in.”

            “We were discussing that, actually.”  Robin nodded.  “We have enough room, you could split up by gender instead of by team.  Later, when we get the rest of the tower built up, we may even be able to give you individual rooms, but until then… well, it would probably be more comfortable for everyone to adopt new arrangements.

            “Each team is designed around a speciality.  Splitting up the teams will reduce combat effectiveness in case of a surprise attack,” objected Shino.

            “Hey, ain’t nobody surprise attackin’ NOBODY on this tower.”  Cyborg stood tall and crossed his arms.  “We got cameras, sensors, alarms, and guns all OVER this thing.  We’ll know they’re coming long before they hit this place.”

            “Plus, we’re not really on a mission, Shino.”  Kiba snorted. 

            Sakura rolled her eyes.  “Look, much as I love hearing all this, the point is kinda moot.  We’ve been doing this for a long time.  It works.  We trust our teammates.”  She turned.  “Now Naruto, do you know where Sai is?”

            “Man, what’s with you, girl?”  Cyborg arched an eyebrow.  “Where do you get off asking this guy for things?  You his girlfriend or something?”

            The simple words brought a reaction immediately.  Naruto’s mouth suddenly tightened, and his eyes narrowed almost imperceptively.  For her part, Sakura seemed to almost wilt, her face pale and her eyes hidden.  Each studiously avoided the other’s gaze.

Robin, though, found himself more intrigued by the reactions of the others.  Hinata’s pale white eyes were darting from one to the other in confusion.  Shino’s normally impassive face sported a raised eyebrow.  Only Kiba, normally the energetic one, seemed to sigh in resignation as he packed up his gear.

 _This isn’t normal._   Robin realized.  _Not for Naruto or Sakura_. 

Interested in the little puzzle, he let the silence sit a while longer before breaking it.  “So what do you want to do?” he asked, being sure to keep his voice neutral.

Naruto glanced up.  “I guess… we should probably break up the teams like you said.  It’ll probably be easier on everybody… in the long run anyway.”

“Yes.” Sakura nodded, head to the ground.  “That sounds best.”

“We’ll need big rooms for that, though.  Do you guys know a place big enough for all the guys to hang out in?”  Turning expectantly, Naruto shot Cyborg an inquisitive look.

            Cyborg shrugged.  “A few.  Here, I’ll show ya.” 

            “I’ll… go find Ino and tell her,” fumbled Sakura, as she fled out the door.

              Robin was left alone with the three ninjas.  After a momentary debate as to the wisdom of prying, he turned and glanced at Kiba.  “What was that about?”

            “Personal issues,” sighed Kiba, jumping to his feet.  “A really BAD mistake that’s not going to just go away.  Actually I’m surprised it didn’t come out sooner.”  He motioned to Robin.  “Here.  Point me in the direction of the bathroom, will ya?”

 

* * *

 

            He flowed with the current, bent with it.  Sliding up, around, and through him, it bent each and every which way.  Little eddies tickled through his fingers, dissipating into nothing at the ends of his fingertips.  He had no form, no limits, no…

            He hit a glass wall.

            Suigetsu reeled back into consciousness, slowly reconstructing his eyes and face to stare at the obstruction.  A few tentative feelers confirmed his suspicion—the glass enclosed him on all sides. 

            Stuck in a glass tube.  AGAIN.

            Suigetsu resisted the urge to bash his head into the wall, knowing it would do little good anyway.  In all his years in a tank, Suigetsu had fully learned all the limitations and benefits of tube-bound life, including the few ways you could entertain yourself.  Bashing your head into the wall was not one of them.

            Looking out of the glass wall, however, was.  And fortunately his new tube seemed to be in a much more interesting location than his last one.  It glowed with steel and blinking lights all over, and a few people in purple suits were walking around.

            Most interesting, however, the two people in front of his watery cage seemed to be looking directly at him.  The green man’s glowing orange eyes were particularly fascinating, but the girl standing next to him wasn’t bad either.

            After saying something to the woman that Suigetsu couldn’t quite catch, the green one turned to him again and his eyes glowed.

            _Good morning._

            Suigetsu blinked.  What?  Where had that come from?

            _Ah yes.  I am speaking in your head, it is known as telepathy.  As you are currently imprisoned and unable to understand our language, this was seen as the best way to contact you._   There was a short pause and then the voice said, _While I’m in here, I’ll just implant the knowledge of English into your brain.  It’ll be much less troublesome that way._

            “Hey, hang on a…”

            “Good, he can speak English now.”  A disembodied voice floated into the tank—the woman’s, Suigetsu realized.  “Thanks, J’onn, now I can listen in too.”

            The green man, presumably J’onn, gave a polite nod and turned back to the tank.  “You are Suigetsu.  Would you kindly explain your attack on one of our league members?”

            League members?

            Oh.  They must be talking about one of the weirdoes in the tower.  “Which one?”

            The woman and man exchanged a glance.  “All of them, preferably,” responded the woman.  “I suppose we should start by asking why you attacked Titans Tower.”

            “Who’s what?”

            “Titan’s Tower?  The building you occupied?”

            “Oh, THAT place.”  Suigetsu shrugged.  “We needed a place to stay for the night.  It looked like a defensible position.”

            They exchanged another look.  “Didn’t you think it might be occupied?”

            “Well, yeah, we saw the lights.  Tough luck on them, I guess, but hey.”  He didn’t really see the point of this conversation.

            “Well…”  the woman seemed to be searching for something to say.  “Why’d you attack?

              “I told you.  We needed a place to stay.”

            “But couldn’t you have… you know… asked them?”

            Suigetsu blinked.  “But that would take all the fun out of the thing!  Oh, I suppose we could have stabbed them in their sleep or something, but that gets old fast.  The fight was a lot better.”  He scowled suddenly.  “Except for that idiot in the green tights.  When I get outta here, I’m gonna kill that kid.”

            Glancing down, he asked. “Any more questions?”

* * *

 

            “Well, if you’re not picky about bedding, we could stick you all in the training room, it should be big enough.”

            Naruto shook his head.  “Once Lee finds out this place has a training room…”

            “TRAINING ROOM?”  A green blur dashed up.  “There is such a place here?  I must find it immediately!  Already I have lost so much time, I will train TEN times as hard to make up for it.”  Lee stopped a moment and frowned, then brightened.  “No, I will train TWENTY times as hard and become even better to take my enemies by surprise!  Oooh!  Even better!  I will…”

            “It’s uh… that way.”  Pointing, Cyborg edged just the tiniest bit away from the enthusiastic chunin.

            Lee’s face flowed with tears.  “Thank you my youthful metallic friend!”  He dashed off.

            “As I was about to say, once Lee finds out this place has a training room, he’ll be in there all day.”  Naruto sighed.  “We can’t arrange for the others to sleep there.”

            Cyborg nodded absently, his mind still on something else.  “Youthful metallic friend?”

            “Oh, he calls everybody that.  Well, the youthful bit.  Not so much the metallic.’

            “Gotcha.”  Cyborg decided to give up on it and turned back to the problem at hand.  “So… training room’s out.”

            “Definitely.  Is there anywhere else?  That place we landed in looked pretty big.”

            Blinking, Cyborg stared at the boy.  “You COULD sleep in the hangar, I guess… if you guys don’t mind getting burned into pieces everytime a plane lands.

            “Hm.”  Naruto frowned.  “So that’s out too.”

            “Probably.  We don’t usually get a lot of traffic, but we might now that you guys are here.  And if someone needs to make an emergency landing, they’ll need to land FAST.”

            “Well right!  Sure!”  Naruto nodded emphatically.  “What else would they do?”

            Sighing, Cyborg tapped a few panels on his wrist computer.  “I wonder if Raven has a spare dimension we could use.”  He muttered.  “Probably not.  Let’s see… I guess we have a few storerooms we could clear out… most of them were fairly well-shielded from the blast.”  Rubbing his chin, he commented ruefully: “That’ll take a while, though.  We’ll need a lot of manpower.  Think you could get your friends to carry stuff out?

            “Ha!”  Naruto brought his hands.  “No need!  _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!”  A loud pooof, and soon there were twenty Narutos standing in front of Cyborg. 

            “What room do you want cleared out?” 

 

* * *

 

            “So… what’s the verdict?”  Superman asked the other two as they entered the room.

            The doctor rolled her eyes.  “I don’t know where you picked up that loony in the tank, but he’s a nearly certified psychopath. He almost NEEDS to be shut up.”

            “Excellent.”  Waller nodded.  “Please file a statement with the lawyers then, your recommendation added to the others should give the League just cause to detain him here as a prisoner of war.”

            The doctor gave a gracious nod and left as Superman turned to the others.  “So then.  No more worries on that score.  We’ve already discussed our plans for finding Luthor—between us and the government…” here he gave a grudging nod to Waller, “…we should get an idea fairly soon.  What else do we have?  J’onn, you said you might know something.”

            The green-skinned alien looked pensive.  “Yes, yes.” He nodded.  “Not about Luthor, though.  About the Anti-Life equation.” 

            Observing the various looks of confusion, he hastened to explain.  “It might be nothing… but ancient Martian philosophy postulated that free will might be defined in the form of a ‘Life Equation.’  It’s possible that Darkseid learned this and developed the concept of the ‘Anti-Life Equation’ in reaction to it.”

            “Or that your people learned somehow of Darkseid’s ambition and developed it in reaction to that.” Hawkgirl pointed out.

            Superman ignored her.  “So you know this equation?”

            Blinking, J’onn shook his head.  “I never said the Martians _knew_ the equation… they merely postulated that such an equation existed.”

            “Am I the only one confused as to how, exactly, they thought you could prove free will _mathematically_?”  Mr. Terrific nearly exploded, throwing his hands in the air.  “Math implies logic.  Cause and effect.  One plus one is always two, two plus two is always four.  One cannot choose to become six and add up to twelve.  Free will has _no_ place in mathematics!”

            The Martian Manhunter’s eyes narrowed.  “Pardon me for feeling some attachment to the ideas of my extinct race.  The theory ran that the universe could NOT be explained in terms of mathematics, thus proving that one plus one did not always equal two.”

            “Then that makes it not an equation!”  Mr. Terrific shot back.

            “So what you’re saying is that there’s a possibility the ‘Anti-Life Equation’ doesn’t exist,” cut in Superman, anxious to stop the fight.  “In fact, that it cannot exist.”

            “Yes.”

            “Which would be nice, except that it obviously DOES, since Luthor has it.”

            “Unless he doesn’t, because it’s not doing what it’s supposed to.”

            “Unless it IS!”

            “Shut up, Flash.”

            Groaning, Superman covered his hand with his hands.  “I just want to go back to the farm and raise cows.”   He muttered.  “Raise cows.  Why can’t super-heroing make any SENSE anymore?”

            “Hey, Superman, stay with us here.”  Green Lantern put out a hand and patted him on the shoulder.  “We’ve still got a job to do.”

            Superman raised himself up on his elbows and blinked blearily at the table.  “I miss the good old days of nuclear missiles and giant robots.”

            “I hear ya there.”  Flash grinned.

            “Is there a situation going on?  Anywhere?  For once I want to make the world better by punching someone.”

            “I imagine we’ve all had that impulse,” commented Batman drily, pressing a few buttons on the table.  “Unfortunately, that’s not going to do anything to solve the problem, so let’s break it up into smaller pieces to see what we can do.”

            A series of images floated into existence just above the table.  “J’onn, try to recall everything you can about the philosophy behind this ‘Life Equation’ and if any parts of it were figured out.  In the meantime, let’s get in contact with New Genesis and see if Darkseid has resurfaced by them.  For finding Luthor, I suggest we get Question…”

“No,” responded Superman flatly.  A series of nods came from around the table.

Batman arched an eyebrow.  “He did well when we set him on Cadmus.”

“When we set him on Cadmus he became convinced the world was about to end, tried to kill Luthor, and ended up captured,” came the response.  “Plus, his recent actions with the Konoha nin he captured make his ties to the League dubious.”

A short nod expressed Green Lantern’s approval.  “I recommend we hold off on giving him any more league assignments for a while.”

“Very well.”  With a surprisingly casual shrug, Batman returned to the table.  “We’ll go through the normal channels then.  But Mr. Terrific, I want you working on that portal we promised our visitors.”

Hawkgirl glanced at the Dark Knight in surprise.  “Are you crazy?  We need T’s head working on the Luthor problem.  If you ask me, those kids can just stick around for a bit, we might need their help.”

“Loose cannons.”  Green Lantern shook his head.  “They’re capable fighters, but I doubt they’d follow any strategy we suggested.”

“I’m still not sure we should completely trust them,” nodded Wonder Woman.

“Besides, we promised we’d work on it for them.  The best thing to do is fulfill that as soon as possible.”  Standing to his feet, Superman addressed the room.  “Very well then.  The only things we can do for now is search and prepare.  You all have your assignments, make sure they’re carried out.”

One by one the leaguers filed out, with Batman coming last.  He had been upgraded to a wheelchair and was swiftly healing, but his mobility was still limited.  Just outside the conference room he wheeled to a halt.

“Q.”

The faceless man emerged from behind a pillar.  “I take it I’m to be relieved of League duties.”

“For a while.  General consensus.”  Batman gave a short nod.  “Superman will give you details later.  In the meantime, I have some private work I want you to pursue.”

Question tilted his head in interest.

“Uchiha Sasuke.  He’s low on the League’s priorities right now, but he’s going to be a problem eventually.”  Batman’s eyes narrowed to slits.  “Find him.”

“Understood.”

 

* * *

 

            “Control room smashed, front of the building broken in, training room battered but still usable, submarine bay physically intact but equipment all fried, and primary reactors inactive.”  Cyborg listed off the pad in his hand.

            Rubbing his head in irritation, Robin tried to think.  “Secondary?”

“Still functional.”

“Well that’s _something_.  And the visitors?”

            “The guys are deposited in our old trophy room, the girls are setting up in one of our spare guest rooms.”

            “I assume our quarters are still intact.”

            “Eheheheh…. For the most part.  It looks like the psycho with the sword ripped up your room just for the fun of it, but outside of that, we’re good.”

            “Good.”  Robin nodded.  “I’d hate for Starfire to lose any of the few things she’s got left.”

            Grinning, Cyborg added.  “ _I’d_ hate for them to have stumbled into anything of Raven’s.”

            “Don’t even joke about that,” came the response.  “Speaking of which, where IS Raven?”

            “Hard to say.  Security systems aren’t back online yet.  Last I saw, she was headed toward her room… She’s probably still there.”  Cyborg shrugged.

            “Get security systems online as soon as you can.”  Robin ordered.  “We’re at our weakest right now and probably half the villains in town know it.”

            “Right.”

            “Yo!”  Robin and Cyborg both turned at the cheerful voice that invaded the doorway.  A grinning blonde poked his head in.  “The one… green kid said you wanted to see me.”

            “His name’s Beast Boy.  Gar, if you can’t get used to that.”  The sooner they figured out the name business, the better.  He had a feeling, though, that it would take time.

            The confused look Naruto sent him did encourage him.  “They both sound pretty weird.”

            “Get used to it.”  Turning, Robin picked up the papers Cyborg had printed out moments before.  “Are any of your people good at repairs?  Building?”

            Naruto shrugged.  “Sure.  We’ve all done plenty of D-class missions.”

            “You guys get ‘missions’ to fix houses?  Seriously?” Cyborg’s mouth gaped slightly.

            Another shrug.  “And do gardens.  And catch cats.”

            Robin decided it best to ignore the issue.  “What materials and tools do you usually work with?”

            “Uh… hammer and nails for tools… materials… I guess I’ve usually just handled the carpentry stuff, but some of the others know how to work with bricks and clay.”  Grinning suddenly, Naruto added, “Some of the girls might know how to work with screens and weavings.”

            This was going to be more difficult than he thought.  “I take it, then, that most of you haven’t done technical repair either, with computers or generators?”

            “Not… really, no.”  Naruto blinked.  “I guess… Shino might know how to work generators… they use them in his clan to keep the hives warm.  And Sakura—“ a spasm crossed his face for a moment, “—knows how to use computers.  But outside of that… not really.”

            Slightly surprised, Robin tilted his head.  “You have generators and computers in your world, but only wooden buildings?”

            “We have concrete ones too.  I hear they have other stuff in Amegakure, but I’ve never seen it,” came the response.  “Why?”

            Another issue to forego for now.  “Never mind.  Send Sakura up here so she can help Cyborg with the computers.  After that, collect the others and send them outside.  We’ll have to give you a crash course in metalworking.”

            “Metalworking?”

 

* * *

 

            “Please…  you promised to kill me…”

            “Miss Karin, I never promised anything.”  The bald man (Luthor, he had introduced himself as) stated calmly as he strode beside her.  “You merely volunteered information on the presumption that I would carry out your conditions.  I never said whether I would or would not.”

            Karin shivered at the intent in his words and fell silent.  Lying prone in her bed, she could see the hallway speeding past as the attendants pushed her towards—whatever gruesome fate they were surely planning for her. 

            The thought stirred her fear-numbed mouth into motion.  “Please, if you’ll just…”

            “Now Miss Karin, why should I possibly want to kill you?  You have proven to be my most valuable source of information thus far—I should hate to lose you at this stage.”

            “But I’ve told you everything…”

            Luthor snorted.  “You most certainly have NOT.”

            “What do you mean?  I told you about chakra, about handseals, about the others... What could I possibly have left to tell you?” 

Actually, there was quite a lot.  Karin did not have very specific information about the Nara, and none about the one “Tenten” girl.  Her knowledge about Naruto was only cursory—stuff from data files.  Nothing about his latest abilities or how they worked.

There could be any reason why Luthor found her information unsatisfactory.  But in her heart, Karin knew the real reason.

            Sasuke.  She had not told him anything about Sasuke.

            Even now, knowing that the man knew she was hiding something and would doubtless torture her to reveal it, Karin could not find it in herself to betray Sasuke.  It didn’t really make sense—after all, their team had never been close, and Sasuke especially had remained distant from her constant advances.  He had only the most passing concern for them.  And yet…  She still felt she needed to protect him.

Part of it was that she was probably still in love with him, she supposed.  But another part doubtless had to do with his behavior at the Kage Summit.

They’d been betrayed… by Zetsu, of all people, and exposed to the Kages.  The samurai had charged in, but Sasuke had made short work of them.  Then the Raikage had come.  Suigetsu and Juugo had tried to help Sasuke, but were soon both incapacitated.  Merciless and relentless, the Raikage had sacrificed his right arm in his attempt to kill Sasuke.  The arrival of the Kazekage had provided a momentary relief, but even then, things had looked grim until Sasuke called upon the Susanoo.  The impenetrable armor had forced the Kazekage and Raikage to flee.

Sasuke had saved her, demanding that she find Danzou and take him to him at once.

“Wh-what about the others?” She remembered herself stammering, half incoherent by the bizarre change in Sasuke’s personality.

“Forget them!  Find Danzou!”  He had roared.  But then his eyes had changed.  “And yet… they might still be helpful, I suppose.”

A quick flick from his Susanoo had saved Suigetsu and Juugo.  They’d all charged the Kage room—nearly gotten destroyed before being saved by Madarra—and then they’d all attacked Danzou.  They’d killed him.

But all Karin could remember was that moment of mercy on Sasuke’s part.  He’d been a leader.  He’d worked for the team.  For Karin, that instance of loyalty, however slight, was enough to keep her silent forever.

She could hardly explain this to Luthor, however.  So she simply continued, “Please, if this is about Naruto, I warned you about the Kyuubi, I told you…”

“That was not the Kyuubi.”  Words came out in a short clipped tone.  “He did not have the ‘chakra cloak’ you described.  He had something completely different, something you never mentioned.”

“I… he’s not on our side.  I don’t know everything he can…”

“Fortunately, I have decided to give you another chance.”  The group stopped in front of a white, glistening wall and the attendants adjusted Karin’s bed to face it.  “Something you can help me with.  Something you DO understand completely.”

At a click, the wall went transparent and Karin gasped.

“I believe you called him Juugo.  Your teammate.  I haven’t had time to do a full examination of him yet, but I’ve observed a number of genetic irregularities already.”  A trace of amusement came into his voice.  “Are you familiar with the principles of cloning?”

 

* * *

 

            The pale-eyed boy surveyed the beam floating above the ground with interest.  “Fascinating.  How do you do that?  Is it some sort of gravity jutsu?”

Raven ignored him.  “ _Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos_!”  The steel girder swept upward toward the collection of workers on the roof, where an orange and purple blur shot over and grabbed hold of it.

“She is waving to you and smiling.”  The boy—Neji—informed her.  “Now she is carrying it over to the indicated crossbeam…”

Flame burst from the roof.

“And now Ino is melting the girder in place.”  Neji nodded.  “Very good.”

The communicator on Raven’s cloak crackled into life.  _“We need a couple lithium bindings on the south side.”_

Raven touched the device.  “Can’t see you, Robin.”

“I shall do it!”  Suddenly a green whirlwind appeared at her elbow.  “I shall carry thirty thousand latrinium bindings up the building, and if I cannot do that, I will…”

 _“Three will be fine, thanks,”_ crackled the speaker, a touch of amusement in its static. 

“Hm.”  Raven grunted.  “They’re in Box A3, over there.”  She pointed.

“Yosh!”  Grabbing three boxes, the odd boy dashed across the water and up the side of the building at breakneck speed.

“Just what we need,” grumbled Raven.  “Another energy nut.  Does he realize those boxes contain thirty bindings apiece?”

Neji shrugged.  “He’ll be back in a moment with the others.”

A cloud of dust and an enthusiastic shout showed the truth of Neji’s words.  “Regretfully, I seem to have brought too many latrinium bindings to our youthful comrades on the roof.  Where shall I put the others!”

“Over there,” sighed Raven.

“Yosh!”  There was a clatter and a clang as the boxes hit the ground.  “What else do you desire me to do, youthful maiden?”

_Youthful maiden?_

“Lee, this island seems wonderfully adapted for training.  Why don’t you run thirty yards out and circle the island ten times?”  Neji’s voice was calm, reasonable.

Lee’s eyes seemed to explode with light.  “Ah-HA!  You are tricky, rival Neji, but I see through you!  I shall run around the island twenty—no, THIRTY times, and if I cannot do that, I will do sixty thousand push-ups!  Yosh!”  And the green blur of energy swept toward the water.

Turning toward her pale-eyed companion, Raven lifted an eyebrow.  He shrugged.  “You seemed to be disturbed by his presence.”

With a snort of agreement, Raven turned back toward the tower.  “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

A moment of silence passed between them, broken only by the occasional requests from the communicator and Raven’s manipulations of building material.  At times, Neji used his Byakugan to help her guide the materials to the other side.

Apparently curious, Neji broached the subject.  “So you cannot send items to places you do not see?”

“I can send them.  I just might smash into plenty of things on the way there,” responded Raven.  “It’s hard to maintain control over things you can’t see.”

Neji nodded.  “True.  That is your… power, then?”

“Among other things.”  Raven really did not feel like discussing her abilities with this stranger.  “I take it yours is to see through walls?”

“Among other things.”  Apparently he didn’t relish the concept any more than she did.

“Hm.  And your friend’s ability is to walk on water?”

“Actually, no.  All of us can do that.”

Oh right.  That was how the others had attacked.  “Like the firebreathing stuff, then.”  Up above she could just barely make out the blonde girl and the chubby boy, melting another girder into place.

“…in a way.”  Neji frowned.  “All of us can use firebreathing jutsus.  But Chouji and Ino have a special affinity for them.”

“Affinities?”  Just barely interested, Raven shielded her eyes to look up at the workers.

“Elemental affinities.  Each of us has a particular element that our chakra is suited toward.  Chouji and Ino’s is fire.  Mine is lightning.”

“Hm. And the others?”

Neji hesitated, obviously unwilling to reveal the information, but he finally shrugged and continued on.  “Sakura and Kiba are Earth types.  Shino, like me, is a Lightning type.  Sai and my cousin Hinata are Water types, and Naruto is suited to Wind.”

Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.  And Lightning, apparently.  The spiritual elements, if you counted lightning as Quintessence.  “What about the green one?”

            There was a slight pause.  “Lee has no elemental affinity.”

            “None?”  A frown creased Raven’s face.  “I thought you said you could all do that.”

            “Lee is… unique.”

            “You don’t say,” snorted Raven.  She dropped the subject, though, instead asking: “So which one of you is the leader?”

            “Naruto,” came the answer.

             “That so.”

            Neji glanced sharply at her ironic tone.  “I have noted you do not seem to approve of Uzumaki-san.  Why is that?”

            “Approval has nothing to do with it.”  Raven answered.  “As a person, he’s annoying already.  That thing inside him just makes it worse.  I’d really rather not deal with the whole thing.”

            “The demon inside him… is that it?”  Neji’s face hardened.

            “Mm.”  Raven gave a short nod.  “Personally, I don’t understand why you guys would keep him around, much less make him leader.”

            “Probably for the same reasons your teammates keep _you_ around,” replied Neji, his voice cold.

            Raven shrugged.  “I’ve never understood that either.”

 

* * *

 

            Sasuke was growing impatient.  The vehicle’s formerly impressive speed had slowed considerably, almost to a crawl, in his opinion.  “Can’t we go any faster?” he demanded of the driver.

            The driver, predictably, did not respond, and Sasuke gave up his quest with a sigh.  Although the genjutsu technically controlled the driver, it did so only in a cursory manner, and with images, not words.  His driver still could not understand him and thus could not answer any particular concerns. 

            Momentarily, Sasuke contemplated leaping from the car and returning to his journey on foot, but dismissed it as too overt.  The men in the vehicle ahead looked official, such an activity would surely be reported.  He needed to stay low.

            With a sigh of resignation, Sasuke reclined back in the seat and studied the vehicle ahead of them.  Large.  Boxy.  Very few windows, apparently very heavily armored.  Several people could be seen in the driver’s seat, wearing official suits and nervous faces.

            _Guards._   Sasuke surmised.  _For something in the vehicle, perhaps?  But…_

Suddenly an explosion rocked the road, sending both cars flying.

 

* * *

 

“Gotcha!” rasped Two-Face as the armored car crashed down into the ditch.  “Two for the price of one.”  He noted, seeing the crashed truck next to the other.  “Not a half-bad day’s work.”  Furiously, he gestured to his men.  “Go on, then, boys.  Lots of coin in there, time to gather it all up.  Leave that.”  He added, pointing to the rocket launcher.  “Don’t need nothing burning up the money.”

            At that moment, however, things went slightly awry.

            A dark figure, clad in a voluminous trench coat, landed on the ground next to the armored car, cocking a quizzical eyebrow at it.  The teenager, tall with dark, spiky hair, though obviously very skilled, did not seem to be carrying a weapon of any kind.

            “Clear outta here kiddo.”  One of his men growled, waving around his gun for emphasis.

            Instantly the teen’s gaze darkened.  A sword slipped from his coat and into his hand.

            Only one kind of idiot tried to use swords in battle.  The superhero kind.  (Technically, the insane kind might too, but sometimes Two-Face really couldn’t tell the difference.)  Either he’d volunteered to go with the truck, or tracked it on his own, or simply shown up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

            Didn’t make a difference.  “Give ‘im two in the head.”  He muttered to the man.

            With scarcely a nod, the thug whipped up his pistol and fired.  The teen staggered back and fell over.

            Two-Face raised a disfigured eyebrow.  Usually those clowns moved around a lot more—the ones with swords at least THOUGHT they were fast enough to dodge bullets.  That guy had just stared at the gun as if he didn’t understand it.  Still.  No matter.  He was dead, that was the main thing.   “Now, get the money.”  He growled to his men. 

            Quickly a number clambered over the road and toward the truck.  Two-Face smiled as he heard the door being blown open, grinned at the sound of bullets executing the guards within, smirked at the screams of terror...

            Wait a minute.  That had been one of HIS men.

            Screaming, half the men he had just sent came streaking back over the road, firing backwards as they went.  Several collapsed in the middle of the road.  “What’s the problem with you idiots?”  Two-Face raged as the survivors approached him.  “A few guards too much for you?”

            “N-no… it was…”

            The answer came in the form of a dark figure that materialized on the road.  Straightening, the teenager from a few moments ago glared at Two-Face with murderous red eyes.

            Huh.  He coulda sworn that they’d hit the kid.  Was he bulletproof or a replicant or…  Naw.  Blood was pouring from a hole in his shoulder.  He’d been hit, just not in the head.  Stupid Murkley, couldn’t aim to save his life.  _In this case, literally_ , smirked Two-Face as he recognized one of the bodies in the road.

            A grunt from the teenager recalled Two-Face to the present.  Right.  Vengeful wounded superhero-wannabe in the area.  “Kill him already!”  he growled at his men.

            This time, the teenager did not wait for them to fire.  Obviously learning from his previous encounter, he leapt and dodged before the guns could even track onto him.  His sword leapt and dodged amidst the thugs, slicing them into tiny ribbons.  Electricity shot from his hands, and fireballs spouted from his mouth.

            Two-Face had been in enough brawls to know when the getting was good.  He left his men to their fate.

 

* * *

 

 

            Sasuke straightened and glanced at the pile of corpses around him.  That seemed to be all of them… except for the one odd disfigured man.  That was disappointing, Sasuke would have liked to kill him too.  For a moment he contemplated tracking him down and doing just that, but quickly discarded the idea.  He was wounded and needed to seek care.

            A strange wound, though.  And a strange weapon that had inflicted it.  Though he didn’t exactly understand how they worked, he now had a healthy respect for the small projectile-firing weapons.  The weapons of this world were more dangerous than they appeared.

            In either case, it was over now.  Time to find out what they had all been so anxious to get.  Striding over to the odd vehicle he’d noted earlier, Sasuke pushed open the charred door at the back.

            Four of the guard-people from before.  All dead, all armed with the same odd weapons.  All surrounded by piles and piles of green paper.

            Was this what they were all fighting over?  Sasuke didn’t understand the point.

            Still, he picked up several handfuls of the odd green paper and stuffed them in his pockets.  If they were important enough to guard or steal, they were important enough for him to take.  Maybe they had dangerous jutsus encoded on them or something.

            His pockets finally stuffed, Sasuke turned to the door with a sigh.  His original driver was dead, he supposed he’d have to walk the rest of the way.  He strode to the door, but paused at the threshold and turned.

            His head cocked in thought as he studied one of the remaining weapons.

* * *

 

            “This is going surprisingly well.”  Robin muttered, examining the work done on the south side.  “If we keep this up we ought to have the essentials in place by tonight.”  Touching his communicator, he asked, “Cyborg, how are things on your end?”

          _“Eh… the computers are going to take some work, but I think I got it covered.”_

            A grin tugged at Robin’s face.  “What, the inter-dimensional ninja from steampunk Japan isn’t helpful?”

            _“Dude, the most advanced language she knows is QBASIC.  In_ Japanese _.”_   Cyborg’s voice was just a touch pained.    _“I don’t dare let her even near my babies.”_

            “What about the generators?”

            _“Okay, I guess.  That Shino kid understood enough to start up the secondary generators.  But again, don’t think I want him fooling around with the main ones.”_

            “Hm.  Probably not.”

_“Other than that I think we’re all good.  Whaddaya want to do now, Boss?”_

            Robin paused and thought.  “The crooks probably haven’t heard we’re back yet.  Anything on the scanners?”

            There was a short silence as Cyborg checked.  “ _Not anything major.  Some kind of disturbance downtown, but that’s it.  We don’t have all our scanners active, though, so we might be missing stuff.”_

            “Hm.”  After thinking for a bit, Robin shrugged.  “We’ll do it the old-fashioned way then.  Cyborg, Beast Boy, do a few rounds of the city and see if you can drum out any criminals on your way.  Take two of the ninjas with you too, they should get to know the place.”

           _“Sure thing boss.  On my way out now.”_

            “Good.”  Robin clicked off the communicator.  “You!”  He pointed at one of the less active ninjas.  “Kiba, right?  Go grab your friend Neji and meet Cyborg down on the ground.  Beast Boy, go with him.”

            “Right!”  The two jumped away.

 

* * *

 

 

            On the mainland, a pair of glittering eyes watched four figures leap into the city.

            “Well now… That’s interesting.”

 


	11. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiba, Neji, Cyborg, and Beast Boy square off against Dr. Light. But the good doctor seems to have gotten a significant upgrade.

 

 

                “Hm,” mused Kakashi as he re-entered the Hokage chambers.  “That didn’t go so well.”

                Yamato was only a step behind him.  “It could be worse, Hokage-sama.  At least we didn’t waste many men on it.”

                “Not in comparison to the other villages, no.  But that’s not what’s bothering me.”  Sighing, Kakashi took a seat at the desk, propping his feet up on it.  “What’s bothering me is how Madara apparently knew we were coming and was able to not only vacate the base but construct an elaborate trap like that.  And then there’s Kabuto…”  Shaking his head, the Rokudaime cast a longing look at a certain drawer in the desk.  “It’s disturbing, to say the least.”

                “He can’t always know what we’re doing.  We’ll stop him yet.”

                “Perhaps.  But it’s an unsettling trend.”  A final shrug announced Kakashi’s intention to drop the subject.  “Still, as you say, we didn’t lose nearly as many nins as the other villages did.  Scarcely ten ninjas, really.  Though of course, between Pain’s attack and the Sasuke fiasco, we can’t really afford to lose even THAT many.”

                Yamato gave a nod of assent and for a moment the two fell silent.  Unbidden, Kakashi’s single eye sought out a familiar picture on the wall.  Noticing, Yamato followed his commander’s gaze and found the same picture.

                “Are you sure they’re alright?” He asked after a moment.

                Kakashi’s eye crinkled in a smile.  “Oh yes.  If Sasuke was dead I’m fairly certain Madara would know somehow.  After all, he’s not about to lose track of such a valuable part of his plan.   And if Naruto was dead… I’m pretty certain _I’d_ know.”

                “And they’ll come back?”

                A shrug.  “They always do.  To be honest, the only one I’m really worried about is Kiba.  With his dog stuck here, he won’t be able to perform most of his jutsus.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “So what’s this ‘patrol’ thing we’re doing for?”  Kiba asked as the four sped across the rooftops.  “Are we expecting an attack or just guarding against intruders?”

                Frowning, Cyborg considered how to answer.  “Eh… both, kinda.  On the one hand, we did hear of a disturbance downtown, but on the other, that might turn out to be nothing, so if something bigger comes up we take that.”

                “We’re not really guarding against… intruders, though.”  Beast boy offered, switching from gorilla to bird momentarily.  “We’re just looking to put down criminals.  Nothing so military as what you’re thinking.”

                Neji gave a quick nod to show his understanding.  “A form of specialized police.  The Justice League explained to us their standard protocol, I assume yours is similar?”

                Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged glances.  “We don’t really… bother with a protocol.”  Cyborg admitted.  “We just basically find the nasties and start bashing.”

                “I like you guys already,” grinned Kiba.

                “Well, that’s maybe a bit exaggerated.  We kinda play it by ear, I guess.  Go with what works.”  Cyborg shrugged.

                “Don’t worry about it too much.”  Beast Boy offered a wink to their followers.  “Sure, you’re new at this, but you’ll pick it up in no time.  Just follow our lead and you should be good.  You guys can handle yourselves, right?”

                Another short nod from Neji.  “I am capable of defending myself.  Kiba, how are you without Akamaru?”

                “Decent,” growled Kiba.  “I mean, I can probably only do half my jutsus, but half of totally awesome is still awesome, right?  Besides, I’ve already fought some of the lowlifes here.  They’re total pushovers.  No strategy to it at all.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Yesterday’s game was extremely interesting, Mr. Nara.”  Shikamaru glanced up at the deep voice of his captor.  “I’m rather surprised at how quickly you picked up the principles of chess.”

                Managing a nonchalant shrug, Shikamaru replied, “It’s kinda similar to shougi.  Wasn’t too hard.”

                “Ah?  You are familiar with shougi then?  Perhaps then, to even the playing field, we should switch to that…”

                “Nah, I can deal.”  Shikamaru tried to ignore the rising feeling of wounded pride.  “Just another challenge, I’ll pick it up pretty quick.”

                A low chuckle came from the bald man.  “You’re quite the ambitious man, Mr. Nara,” mused he, rubbing his chin.

                Another shrug.  “I’m bored.”

                “You may be bored, but I’m rather busy, Mr. Nara.  I really can’t spare the time for more than one game a day.  Perhaps some of my assistants would like to entertain you.”

                “Whatever.  Are we playing today, then?”  Cocking his head, Shikamaru glared at the bald man.

                “Of course we are, Mr. Nara.”   The white wall before Shikamaru lit up, glowing with the checkerboard-tapestry of a very old game.  “I shall play black again.  As you went first yesterday, I believe I shall play first today.  Pawn to G4…”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Dr. Light?  You gotta be kidding me.”  Staring down at the pandemonium in the square Cyborg gave a bit of a grin.  “Well, at least you guys get a nice easy start.  Dr. Light is maybe the biggest moron this side of Mondo.”

                Beast Boy gave a snort of agreement.  “You think he’d know better after the pounding we gave him last time.”

                Returning Kiba’s glance, Neji offered a shrug.   From here, all he could see was a scene of mass confusion down in the square, largely centered around a man in an outlandish costume.  The man was declaring at some length about how he would destroy the city and dance in the ruins.

                “Something weird about all this, though… setting up shop in public isn’t really his style.”  Cyborg frowned.

                “Yeah.”  Matching Cyborg’s frown with one of his own, Beast Boy cocked his head on one side.  “And isn’t he usually, like… robbing some place?  Doomsday devices are kinda out of character for him.”

                “Perhaps he has learned since your last encounter?”  Neji suggested.

                Beast Boy rolled his eyes.  “This is Dr. Light.”

                “Doesn’t matter anyway,” stated Cyborg decisively, bringing up his arm cannon.  “He’s a baddie, so we take him down.  Yo!  Light!”  He shouted, his suddenly enhanced voice booming across the rooftops. 

                At the sound, Dr. Light glanced up, his eyes tightening in what looked like glee.  “Ah!  The Titans!  So you’ve come, as I knew you would.” 

 “We’ve done this before, dude.  Spare us all some trouble this time and just step away from the doomsday thing.”

“I think not.”  Dr. Light grinned, bringing up his arms in a battle pose.  “Not this time.  This time… I think I shall be taking revenge for the humiliation I have endured from you brats.”  As if just noticing, he frowned.  “But where are the others?  That Raven child especially… I have a GREAT deal to do to her.”

Beast Boy growled.

“Seriously, dude, don’t do this.  You’re just going to make things rougher on yourself in the end,” reasoned Cyborg.  “You really think it’s worth going through all this for a little money?”

Something changed in Dr. Light’s face.  “Money?”  A low chuckle issued from his throat.  “No, this isn’t about money.  Not anymore.  You see, I’m not quite as… _harmless_ as you’re used to.”

Lasers exploded from the strange device behind him, lancing across the square, obliterating the wall beneath the Titans.  Caught off guard, all four teenagers tumbled earthward, debris raining alongside them.    All around the square, further explosions could be heard as lasers plowed through building after building.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Dr. Light?”  Superman frowned.  “That could be a problem.”

                Shrugging, Mr. Terrific answered.  “It’s not the first time he’s broken out of prison, Superman.  He hasn’t been an issue for quite a while.”

                “Perhaps not, but this sounds different—strangely devious for him.  You say he’s been out for a while?”

                “Impossible to say how long.  They only recently discovered that the Dr. Light they had imprisoned there was actually just a hologram.  He could have left at any time… maybe he was never even captured at all.  The Teen Titans WERE the ones to capture him, they might easily have made a mistake.”

                “Robin is Batman’s apprentice,” replied Superman, shaking his head.  “He doesn’t make mistakes… not like that, anyway.  But either way, using a hologram like that is awfully sly.  Too sly.”

                Mr. Terrific’s eyebrow jerked upwards in interest.  “You seem pretty worried about this, Supes.”

                “It’s nothing.”  Superman answered, turning away.  “Just an old problem, that’s all.  Now what else did you have to report?”

                For a second Mr. Terrific said nothing and simply studied the Man of Steel.  Finally, shrugging, he tapped the screen before him to bring up new reports.  “J’onn has retired to his quarters for meditation, like you said.  Question’s… gone, he turned off his communicator, but that’s probably just as well.  Orion, from New Genesis, called back, he said they haven’t seen any sign of Darkseid’s return.  He did note that they haven’t had much communication with Apokolips recently, so he might have returned without them noticing, but I’m pretty sure that if Darkseid was back, we’d know it.”

                “Probably.”  Superman agreed.  “What else?”

                “We have representatives from the FBI, the CIA, and the UN downstairs talking with Green Lantern in hopes of better synchronizing the search.  They sent us data regarding LexCorp activities in the years since the Darkseid invasion too, we’ve got some analysts looking through it.  The wounded Leaguers are still recuperating, but Blue Devil has asked to speak with you.  He says there’s something funny about one of the ninjas.  Also, Batman hitched a ride back to Gotham…”

                “What?”  Surprised, Superman’s head jerked up sharply.  “I thought the doctors hadn’t cleared him for active duty yet.”

                “They haven’t.  He went anyway.”  Mr. Terrific’s mouth quirked in a grin.

                Superman groaned.  “That man…”  Pressing his hand to his face for a moment, he willed the headache away.  “Very well.  What else is there?”

                “Not much,” shrugged the other. “Just the usual crisises… earthquake in Zimbabwe, giant robot in Dallas, some demigods duking it out above Moscow.  Nothing major.”

                A short nod was Superman’s answer.  “Alright.  I’ll head down to the conference room to see if I can help GL with the government people.  In the meantime, see what work you can get done on that portal.” 

 

* * *

 

 

                “What the heck is with this guy?”  Cyborg shouted as he struggled to his feet.  “He wasn’t nearly this bad last time!”

                Beast Boy struggled upwards, morphing into a monkey.  “No idea,” answered he.  “But this is getting bad, dude.  It’s all we can do to dodge the lasers from that device-thingie.  And he keeps deflecting any missiles we throw at him with that ‘light shield’ of his.”

                A whirring sound was all the warning they had.  Cyborg leapt away just as a powerful lance of light shot through the space he had formerly occupied.  Disappearing into a gnat, Beast Boy skillfully whipped around another, then sped over to Cyborg’s shoulder.  “Any ideas?” he croaked as he shifted into a raven.

                “None.”  Cyborg shook his head.  “First priority is taking out the big gun, obviously, but we can’t get close enough to touch it.  My arm cannon can’t penetrate the shield.”

                “Could you call Robin, maybe?”

                “Nope.  Tried already, but communications are still down at the tower, and something’s blocking my Titan Transmitter.  Outside of flat-out running to the tower, there’s no way to get the others down here.”

                There was another whirring noise and again they leapt away, just a second later than they should have.  Cyborg nearly tumbled to the ground, clutching his leg as he did so.  “I so did NOT need that.” He muttered. 

                Both heroes tensed at a whooshing noise, but relaxed the next second as Kiba and Neji landed on the ground just ahead of them.  Neither seemed to be breathing especially hard, but both were covered in dust and grime.  A nasty burn across Neji’s right sleeve indicated a near miss, and Kiba had a rapidly-forming bruise on his face.

                “This isn’t going so well.”  Kiba coughed.  “I thought you said this guy was a pushover.”

                “He is, usually.  Don’t know what’s up with him this time.”

                Shrugging, Neji adjusted himself into a defensive posture.  “I am not familiar with your enemy, but I have made a number of observations.  The lasers appear to fire at five-second intervals, and they…”

                There was a whirring noise.

                Another leap away, another leap together.

                “…they seem to track our movements.” Neji finished, slightly out of breath.  “Fortunately they seem to give us sufficient warning to move each time.  I believe, though, that they are using an optical tracking device… perhaps guided by this ‘Dr. Light’ himself.”

                Cyborg resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  “Yeah, we know.”

                “We gotta take out that big gun.”  Kiba grumbled. 

                “Again, yeah,” nodded Beast Boy.   “We were just discussing that.  But Cyborg’s cannon just gets deflected, and we can barely dodge the lasers at this range.”

                “Then perhaps we might use a distraction.  How…”

                Whirring.  A jump.  Another jump.

                “Don’t know if a distraction will work,” Cyborg commented ruefully, “they can follow all of us as well as one of us.”

                 “We need cover.  Neji, do you have your smoke bombs?”  Kiba glanced to the other.

                “Some.  I used a number in the fight with Sasuke.  You?”

                “I have a few left.”  Kiba shook a few orbs into his palm.  “They ought to be enough to keep us hidden.”  A whirring noise made them all look up.  “Right after this we all charge, okay?”

                “But…”  the ninjas leapt away and the Titans were forced to follow suit.  “… that’s not…” Cyborg sighed.  “Aw crap.  They’re gonna die.”

                “Might as well try and give them some cover.”  Beast Boy shrugged, quickly shifting into a hawk and diving toward the erupting column of smoke that marked the ninjas attack point.  Cyborg whipped out his cannon and began pounding away at the device, watching each blast get deflected away.

                Dr. Light was staring straight at the smoke.  “Science lesson, high schoolers!”  he chuckled.  “The term ‘light’ is used to encompass all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, including not only of the visible colors which one can perceive, but also the invisible ones, such as infrared, ultraviolet, and x-rays.”

                The lasers began to whirr as the smoke column grew.  Dr. Light smirked.  “And I can see in ALL of them.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Quite a strong defense there.  You seem to like to use your knights, Mr. Nara,” observed Luthor. 

                It was starting to disturb Shikamaru how easily this man could read him.  “Do I?” he answered carelessly.  “They’re useful, I guess, and pretty flexible, but outside of that I can’t say I think about them that much.”

                “You’re far too modest, Mr. Nara,” chuckled the man.  “Knights are an excellent piece for the experienced player to use, being both flexible and unpredictable.  Novice players do not know how to use them.  In this case, you’ve used your knights to build up a comprehensive and flexible defense.  I’m almost impressed.  Almost.  Pawn to H7.”

                Drat it.  Now his shielding line of pawns was broken, putting his queen in danger.  How could the man break apart his defense with a simple pawn like that?  There were any of seventy-nine different possible outcomes from the current layout of the board.  Or maybe there were eighty-two.  A few moments ago Shikamaru had only seen fifty-three possible strategies, and his captor had shown him the one he hadn’t thought of.

                Shikamaru wished he could think properly.  He wished he could steeple his fingers and press them together.  That always seemed to help, maybe it would clear his mind, help him form some kind of strategy.  But, his arms being manacled down, he could only close his eyes and think as deeply as he could.

                Though knights were his favorite, the queen was a powerful piece and could not be ignored.  At the very least, he needed to make his opponent pay dearly for her.  However, given the position, that was simply not possible.  He needed to defer any action then, reinforce his queen with another piece.  Not a knight, that would be too obvious, and his knights were in too critical of positions to move anyway.  It would have to be something else.

                Finally he opened his eyes.  “Bishop to F10.”  He said.

 

* * *

 

 

                Theoretically, Hinata was supposed to be helping on the repair of the Titan’s Tower.  Theoretically, she was.  But she had neither the physical strength for heavy lifting, nor the skill for using tools, nor the right elemental affinities to be of any actual use.  At the moment, then, her only role was to run tools to the different workers on the tower—a rather simple job, as few of the workers were actually using tools.  So, Hinata had plenty of time to confront a topic that had begun to bother her more and more lately.

                What is happening to me?

                She didn’t know HOW she’d helped Ino… indeed, she didn’t quite understand what Ino had needed help with in the first place.  But the ‘metas’ had started to treat her strangely after that, and even Sai and Ino had begun to look at her oddly.  The most she could figure out was that she’d done something she shouldn’t have been able to do.  Still, she hadn’t thought much of it before she’d spoken with the odd blue man.

 

* * *

 

 

                _“Ya mean ya don’t know?”  The man looked from one to the other.  “That’s funny.  That’s real funny.”_

_“Wh-what do you mean?”  asked Hinata again, glancing fearfully from Naruto to the strange man._

_A shrug came in response.  “Not sure, to be honest.  It’s just… the demon side of me is getting a really weird vibe from ya.  Pretty different from the demon kid here, too.  Not sure what it is I’m feeling, but it sure ain’t a demon.  That’s why I asked, I figured you might know what it was, but if not…”  Another shrug.  “…than I dunno what to make of it.  It’s just sorta weird.”_

_“Uh, yeah.”  Naruto was looking at the man now too.  “You sure about what that?  Hinata’s not really the host of anything, so far as I know.”_

_“N… no, I’m not.”  Hinata quickly agreed.  “I’m not anybody special.”_

_The man’s eyes narrowed.  “Not a host, eh?  Or even with any weird abilities?”_

_“Hinata, you’re the head of the Hyuuga clan. Or at least the heir.  You guys can see chakra pathways and target them directly and all SORTS of stuff.  You’ve got plenty of awesome abilities.”  Naruto grinned._

_“That so?”  Arching a demonic eyebrow, the man glanced at her curiously.  “I’d like to see that.”_

_Hinata hesitated a moment before weaving her fingers in a seal.  “Byakugan!”_

_Instantly she could see everything.  Picking out her friends was easy. Sakura was on the lower levels, talking with Sai and Ino.  Chouji and Lee seemed to be wandering around the cafeteria area.  Neji she saw about three hallways away… probably watching her.  Kiba and Shino were studying something on a level above her.  But all that was secondary to what was before her._

_The man in bed was glowing.  Not as a chakra network… there was no fine tracery of veins, no clusters marking vital organs, no tenketsu, nothing.  His body simply glowed with energy.  She couldn’t quite call it chakra, it was… more, somehow.  Red, and yellow, and shifting flames glowing all over his body._

_There was more.  Hinata knew there was more, something else in this room was odd, but what…_

_And then she saw it.  It was her._

_Light, similar to the blue man’s, and yet very different, flickered over her skin.  It entered at the pores and sliced through her body, she could even see it going up through her teeth and beaming out her temple to flicker out again.  Her chakra network was still there… she could see that.  But the strange white glow whipped around, over, and through her, penetrating and shielding her very being._

_With a gasp she lost control of the Byakugan and suddenly was back to normal vision again, seeing only a somewhat confused Naruto and a slightly focused blue-scaled man._

_“Hm.”  The man shook his head.  “Nope.  Didn’t feel anything when she did that.  Whatever’s up with you, kid, it’s nothing to do with your hereditary stuff.  Must’ve happened when you crossed over to this world. Sorry I can’t help any more th’n that, It’s not like anything I’ve felt before… the closest I can say is that ya feel something like my trident.”_

_Although also confused, Naruto gave a little grin.  “I’ll bet it’s some awesome new jutsu ability.  Wouldn’t that be cool, Hinata?”_

_Hinata managed a weak nod._

* * *

                “Hinata?  Hey, Hinata?”

                The voice of a very particular person recalled Hinata from her memory.  “Ah!”  she started, suddenly realizing her forgetfulness.  “I… I’m sorry!  Oh, I’m sorry!  Wh-what did you w-want, Naruto?”

                He shrugged.  “Nothing much.  The others are just going in for break, and it looked like you were kinda out of it, so… are you going in to eat or just sit out here?”

                “N-no!  I-I’m coming!”  Scrambling to her feet, she jogged after Naruto towards the building’s edge, preparing to leap off and join the others on the ground.  At the very brink she paused to gaze out on the city that was to be her new home.

                There, standing on the water about halfway between the city and the tower, was a tall man in a green trenchcoat.  From this distance, she could just barely catch the brilliant red of his hair, but even so she somehow felt that he was looking her directly in the eyes.  A small gasp escaped her as she stared out on the water.

                “Hinata!”  Again her crush’s voice snapped her out of it.  “You coming?”

                Glancing back up, Hinata saw the man was gone.

                “Y-Yes.”  She answered, desperately trying to calm the throbbing in her eardrums.  “Yes, I’m coming.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “What the heck is ‘infared light,’ anyway?”  Kiba screamed at Beast Boy.

                “It’s an… invisible light thingie!”  Beast Boy screamed back.  “It’s like… a heat signature or something!  You can see anything that’s warm!”

                “Well what’s an x-ray?”

                “It lets you see through walls!”

                “Well what’s a Gamma ray?”

                “I have no idea!”

                They were shouting because there was really no other way to hear each other right now, what with the explosions going off all around them and the both of them leaping through the air at high speed.  A long charred mark ran along one side of Kiba’s jacket, indicating a near miss from his earlier escapade.  Cyborg and Neji could be seen on the other side of the square.

                “So it’s kinda like the Byakugan, then?  Except like in one direction?”

                “Sure!  Why not?”

                “Then we’re probably in trouble!”

                “I figured that out myself, thanks!”

                The explosions were starting to lessen, and the two took advantage of the pause to leap over towards Cyborg and Neji.  By unspoken consent, they did not stop this time, but instead continued running in a wide circle around the device.  A substantial part of Neji’s left sleeve was charred, but aside from that he was unharmed. Cyborg, by contrast, had a sizeable hole in his right side.

                “Just fixed that.”  He grumbled.  “Okay, so no more rushing the bad guy, okay?”

                “Okay.”

                “We may have to at some point.”  Neji pointed out.  “We just need to figure out a more… distractionary method.”

                “We’ve already been over this.  Distractions won’t work, the gun has auto-tracking.  Cover won’t work either, Dr. Light apparently now has omni-sight, or whatever you wanna call it.”  Beast Boy reminded them.

                “Yes.”  Neji frowned.  “You didn’t mention he had that ability.”

                Cyborg shrugged.  “He didn’t last time we fought him.  But, for future reference, auto-tracking guns usually have some kind of infrared scanner.  It’s just easier for computers to use.  That’s why we figured you guys would need help.”

                “The guns sense heat then?”  Kiba frowned.  “Why don’t we make a bunch of heat for them to fixate on, while the rest of us rush in?”

                Cyborg considered it.  “Might work, except Light’s guiding them too.  He might see through it.”

                “Also we don’t really have anything flammable around here,” pointed out Beast Boy.

                Furrowing his brow, Neji considered.  “I think I may have a solution to both of the problems.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Diana?  You done smashing things in here yet?”

                “Not by half.”  The Amazon grunted, wiping sweat from her forehead.  “But come in anyway.”

                Shrugging, Shayera entered the room.  “Was planning to.  Figure you might as well try to hit a sparring partner instead of more ZA-trainers.”  She glanced around at the mangled robot bodies on the floor.  “Say, if it’d make you feel better, you could tell the computer to make them look like that one pink-haired girl.”

                “This isn’t about that.”  Wonder Woman turned and smashed in another robot head.  “Or rather, it is, but it’s not the girl I’m upset at.”

                “Sure,” snorted Shayera.

                “I’m serious.”  Diana replied, throwing the Thanagarian an annoyed look.  “The girl was a dastardly dishonorable warrior who doesn’t deserve to be a woman, but that’s not the point.  The point is that I lost to a dastardly dishonorable warrior.”

                “So?”

                Diana sighed.  “And that I lost in Gotham.”

                “Well what does… OH.”  Shayera stopped and pondered.  “Oh.  Damn.  He’s left already, I take it.”

                “Yes.”  Diana smashed in another head.

                “He say anything?”

                An annoyed huff came in reply.  “To me?  No.  He just made a general comment about how he needs to get back to Gotham City to repair the damage.”

                “Ouch.”

                “Exactly.  He refuses to actually tell me I failed, because he more or less thinks it was inevitable.”  One smooth fist barreled forward, sending a robot body flying across the room.  “I am the princess of the Amazons, the chosen warrior of Athena, I shouldn’t have to put up with his… his… deMEANing manner!”  A particularly strong punch shattered another robot into tiny bits.

                Curiously, Shayera grinned.  “And yet, you do.”

                “That’s not important.  What’s important is…  is… is…”  Diana stopped and for a moment just stood there, panting slightly as the robots obligingly backed up.  “I’ve been trying to get into that city of his for YEARS, Shayera.  The whole League has been trying to convince him to let us help there.  And finally, the one time he lets me in there, I get captured by a few dishonorable striplings with no honor or talent!  The same ones he defeated a few days ago!”

                Shayera said nothing.

                “He’ll never let me in again.”  Diana muttered softly, almost to herself.  “He’ll never let ANYONE to help in Gotham anymore, because this’ll just validate his… his… STUPID, ARrogant, EGO-CENTRIC belief that only HE can save Gotham!”  Several robots exploded apart in a burst of anger.

                “Men are like that.”  Shayera agreed.

                “I shouldn’t have to deal with this.”  Wonder Woman sighed.

                Shrugging, Shayera crossed her arms.  “So don’t.  Fly right into that little trash-heap and show him he’s wrong.”

                “Not that simple.”  With a wry smile, Diana signaled a new wave of robots to advance.  “Flying in there would just make things worse right now.  He’d view it either as an invasion or an insinuation that he can’t handle the city with third-degree burns all over his body.”

                “He can’t.”

                “Since when has _that_ ever made a difference with him?”

                “Hm.  True.”

                “Even if he didn’t view it as a direct insult, he still wouldn’t change his opinion of me or Gotham.”  Diana sighed, smashing through the last robot in line.  “He’d just view me as a hindrance to his work there.  If my time there hadn’t been such a complete failure, it would be one thing, but as it is…”  With a wave she shut off the simulator and it returned to normal.  “…as it is it’ll take nothing short of a miracle to make up for it.”

                The two women stood there for a moment, lost in the silence of contemplation.  Finally Shayera proffered her mace.  “Wanna do a short round in practice Room 8?”

                “Hera yes.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Where did those brats disappear to now?  Dr. Light scanned the battlefield with annoyance.  His guns, his wonderful guns, could still track them at this range, but it was slightly harder for Light, even with his several-wavelength  vision, to pick them out amidst all the rubble.  In all likelihood, they were still running like scared rabbits in a desperate attempt to dodge the guns.

                Dr. Light just barely suppressed a smirk.  The idiots honestly thought they were _dodging_ the guns?  Lasers, by nature, traveled at the speed of light.  You barely even needed to lead a target to hit it properly. The computers aboard his wonderful cannons were as capable of making such an alteration as of simply alternating guns to eliminate the five-second interval that was saving the hapless heroes.

                No, the so-called heroes were not actually dodging the lasers.  The lasers were just playing with them.  These ‘Teen Titans’ would die when Dr. Light was ready for them, and not a second before. 

                For a moment he wondered if he should wait until the other Titans arrived.  It would be SO much more satisfying to kill the teammates in front of each other.  He’d save that Raven one for last, make her watch as he killed the others one by one.  But no… he shook his head.  Fun was fun, but at the end of the day, he had to get things done.  The League might show up if he dragged this out too long.  No, best to kill them and get it over with.

                A sudden whirr from the guns aroused his attention.  Something new was happening.  Yes, he saw it now, the Titans were making a straight dash up the center, once again trying to hide within the smoke from the crashing buildings.  He could see them, all together in one blur of infrared.  Smiling, he altered the settings on his guns.  Not kill… oh no, not now.  Capture.  He’d not let this foolhardy attack speed up his plans any.  He’d kill them in his own good times.  As the whirring of the guns reached their apogee he could scarcely contain his glee… at last!

                But why weren’t they even dodging?

                The lasers fired as one, striking the single point with deadly accuracy.  The heat generated on impact blinded his infrared vision, he switched to x-ray…

                …and watched in disbelief as two of his assailants exploded into smoke, while the third spun around rapidly, seemingly unharmed.  The smoke cleared away to reveal a tall pale youth with long dark hair, shielded by a whirling ball of energy.  Several still-burning torches lay at his feet.

                A cry caused his head to whip up rapidly, seeing a huge green eagle sweeping toward his precious guns.  His hand shot up, and a burst of light knocked the eagle from the sky.  Catching a blue glow, he whirled around again to see the robotic one preparing to shoot his cannon.  Another burst of light knocked him off balance, sending the energy beam streaming harmlessly into the sky. 

                He didn’t see the leather jacket-clad nin who whistled over his head and tossed three kunai at the heart of the machine.  He did, however, hear the ping as they bounced off the solidified light shield.

                “Oh c’mon!”  The ninja had exactly that long to complain before another solid shot of light knocked him off his feet.

                “An admirable attempt, but ultimately pointless!  Your feeble weapons are useless against me!”  Dr. Light laughed.  “You cannot break through my solid light holograms!”

                “Solid light?”  The tattoed one glanced over to the green boy.  “How on earth does that work?”

                A shrug was his only response.  “I don’t get it either, but that’s how it works.”

                “My genius is beyond your comprehension!” roared Dr. Light triumphantly.  “My mind has been returned to me, and it is all it ever was and more!  Nothing is beyond my grasp!  I can… what are you doing?”

                This last statement was directed at the pale boy, who still stood before him, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.  “I have noticed,” said he, “that your device contains a great deal of Raiton energy.”

                Dr. Light did not even have the chance to ask about the significance of that before lightning exploded out of the energy core.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Dude!  I didn’t know you could do that!”

                Neji, still panting, didn’t bother to respond.  Kiba volunteered.  “If your element already exists in the nearby area, it’s much easier to manipulate.  That’s why Earth types like me can have such an easy time of it.”

                “My guns!”  A distressed cry re-awoke the heroes to their situation.  Dr. Light, apparently having recovered from the blast of energy, was staring back at the destroyed machine with a mixture of sorrow and anger.  “My beautiful guns!  They’re… gone!”

                “Yeah, we were there.”  Cyborg informed the fallen supervillian, cocking his cannon into position.

                Grinning, Beast Boy added, “I’d say we’re sorry, but I don’t really think he—“ pointing to Neji, “—is, and I know _I’m_ not.”

                “Time to head back to your cell, buddy.”

                A dangerous glint came into the doctor’s eye.  “Back there?  Back to prison?  I think not.”  Glowing orbs of energy began to surround his hands.  “I don’t think I shall be returning to prison for a long, long time.  You’ve set me back, it’s true, but I think what I have left is MORE than sufficient to deal with you… annoyances.”

                Kiba snorted.  “Annoyances who just trashed your—“ the rest of his sentence was cut off as a solid burst of light knocked him clean off his feet.  Neji, still winded from two low-level Katon jutsus and one VERY significant Raiton manipulation, barely managed to block the next blast with his Celestial spin.  Beast Boy  and Cyborg managed to skillfully dodge the next ones shot at them.

                With the annoying cannons gone, the fight began in earnest.  Kiba was knocked out cold and Neji not in peak condition, but the two Titans felt they would be able to make up for their teammates.  Both had fought Dr. Light before and had a familiarity with his basic tools.

                However, they soon found that this was a much different Dr. Light.

 

* * *

 

 

“No, Sai, I’m hanging on to the forks and knives.  AND the chopsticks.”  Ino glared at her pale companion. 

                “But how am I supposed to eat?”

                “With a spoon, I suppose,” snorted she in reply.  “I don’t particularly care, so long as you don’t use anything sharp.  I am NOT giving you any more pointy things to stab into your hand.”

                “Ino-san, you have nothing to fear from that quarter.  My repeated experiments have convinced me, that, as physical pain has no affect on my surroundings, there is no point in continuing them.  I acknowledge now that we are not in a genjutsu, but rather in a separate dimension.”

                Eyes narrowed, Ino studied him for a second.  “You’re not just saying that in an effort to subvert the genjutsu by pretending it’s fooled you, are you?”

                Sai offered her one of his widest, falsest smiles.  “Of course not, Ino-san.  May I have the forks?”

                “No.  Use your spoon.”

                With a nonchalant shrug, Sai turned back to his meal.  Ino eyed him suspiciously for a few more moments before turning to her own meal with a sigh.  Honestly, once he got an idea in his head, you couldn’t drag it out of him with…

                _Darkness racing past—another face white in the gloom—walls shifting to ceilings—someone shouting—the face from before, its skin melting away to reveal the fangs and bone beneath—lightning-flash of the kunai—red splatter of blood…_

                “Ino?”

                Sai was looking at her.  “Ino-san, aren’t you going to eat your potatoes?”

                “Ah… huh.”  For a second Ino had stopped breathing.  She took a few moments to glance around the cafeteria, note the others, the Titans, the food.  Tentatively she felt the cold of the table beneath her hand.  “Right… potatoes.”  She bent down to the plate, trying to hide the trembling of her hand.

                Again.  It had happened again.  More vivid, more disturbing than the others.

                The flashes had been coming to her since she’d woken up in that strange hospital.  A few moments after being awoken by the dark man in the white coat, a few random images had flashed into her mind.  Mostly senseless… a few people sitting in a wide room, writing things down… it looked like the Academy.  But later, it’d happened again with Shino, just as they were lying in bed there—a few flashing images of pages in a book being rapidly flipped through, each image as vivid as it was transitory.  And then Hinata…

                Ino stopped and shivered.

Something wasn’t right.   The Yamanakas had always had a certain… detachment from their own consciousness, but this… her mind felt loose.  Open.  It was as if a tense muscle in her brain had suddenly relaxed and left a hole for thoughts to spill out.  She’d never had this problem before, why now?

Maybe something was wrong with her chakra flow.  She could have Hina… Neji look into it. He might be able to see what the problem was.  Or perhaps it was something more biological, that Sakura could figure out.  Maybe shifting dimensions had just strained her mind somehow and she just needed to rest.  Yes, that was probably it.  She hadn’t really had much chance to rest—except for the first twelve hours they’d spent chained to beds.  More rest, that was all she needed.

“Do you need more food, fellow non-earthling?”  the cheery orange girl was back.  Ino looked up to say no.

_Darkness—cold metal on the skin—grunts, roars, echoing off of serpentine hallways.  The jangle of a key as it hit the floor—walls flying past—a lizardlike face, crack of bone as his head bent back—green light—razors glinting on the wind—pain…_

“Ino-san?”

 

* * *

 

 

                “What the--?”  Cyborg gaped at the new hole in his torso.  “How’d you… that shot out of the streetlight!”

                “True.  A source of light, like any other.  I merely control it and amplify it, oscillate the wavelength, and hey presto!  A new laser!”  Dr. Light smirked.  “Not nearly as powerful as my wonderful guns, mind you.  They won’t kill you, just cause an intense burning sensation.”

                “Hey!”  Beast Boy had found something else out.  “What’s with the flying laser balls?”

                “Orbs, my good sir.  Orbs.  Light is… well, light, even when solidified.  Child’s play to manipulate and guide.”

                Another laser caught Cyborg in the back and he grunted in pain.  “No biggie,” answered he, wiping blood from his mouth.  “So you’ve got some new toys.  You always do.  We’ll just trash you.  Like we always do.”

                “All things change, Cyborg.  Just like I did.  All things die.  Just like you will.”

                “Like shit I will.”  Whipping around his cannon, Cyborg fired at the laughing madman.  It bounced harmlessly off his armor, but the impact knocked him backwards several feet.

                Glancing over, the doctor’s eyes narrowed.  “That’s starting to get bothersome.”  His arm whipped out and lasers burst from his fingertips.

                But already Neji had appeared in front of Cyborg.  With a quick spin, he deflected the lasers away and tossed a kunai at their attacker—a kunai with a small note attached.

                BOOM!

                “Dude, you’re crazy fast,” observed Cyborg, watching the doctor fly across the square.  “How’d that work, anyway?  Exploding paper?”

                “Tags.  I’ll tell you later.”

                “Whatever.  Now that we’ve got some breathing room…”  Cyborg aimed his cannon and shot down an entire row of street lights.  “There.  Less distractions now, should let us concentrate on the main target.  How many of those paper thingies you got left?”

                “Not many.  And I’d like to save them for an emergency.”

                Although inclined to point out that this WAS an emergency, Cyborg simply shrugged off the refusal.  “Fine.  Look, see, if you can free up Beast Boy by taking out those laser balls.  I’ll keep Light off your backs.” 

 

* * *

 

 

                “A surprising move, Mr. Nara.”

                “I doubt it.”  At this point, Shikamaru found it hard to believe that this man COULD be surprised, at least by anything within Shikamaru’s skill range.  He seemed to have every eventuality covered, every attack point guarded.  Worse, he seemed to have geared both his attack and defense precisely against Shikamaru.

                “Regardless, it’s not something I would have expected from you.  Pawn to C4.”

“You love your pawns, don’t you.”  Or rather, he didn’t, he just liked to sacrifice them.  Shikamaru felt the game was swiftly going downhill.  Though he had a better feel for his opponent now, he could tell quite clearly that his opponent had a far better feel for him.  And that unsettled him, for more than one reason.  _Could this game have an ulterior motive?_ He wondered.  _Is he using this game as an indirect form of interrogation, a way of deciphering my personality and weaknesses?_

                It was a fascinating concept, and Shikamaru resolved when he got home (IF he got home) to speak to his father about the possibility of using Shougi in interrogations.

                _And if he IS doing that._   Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, _perhaps the best idea would be to reverse my strategy as much as possible.  Shift my aggressive pieces to defensive positions, use my defensive pieces aggressively._ It wasn’t a bad idea.  By this point, Shikamaru felt he was losing the game anyway.  The best he could do would be to get a feel for how his captor reacted to other strategies, while at the same time throwing off his captor’s psychological profiling (if that was what he was doing).  He’d be in a better position to win the next game.

                The first thing to do, then, was to move some of his bigger players to a holding position.  “Knight to G10.”  He remarked

 

 

 

* * *

 

                “Good to have you back, Master Wayne,” commented Alfred as he pushed his master’s wheelchair into the cave. 

                “Thank you, Alfred.”  With a wave of his hand, Batman directed the butler to take him to the computer.  “Have you readied the exo-suit for tonight?”

                Alfred’s face did not stir.  “I thought it prudent to wait until you could walk, sir.”

                “The entire point of that suit is to help me when I’m not at peak capacity,” growled Batman, leaning into the computer as they approached it.

                “That’s nice, sir, but may I remind you that the suit is still a prototype, and, in fact, broke your leg the last time you tried it.”

                “The latest series of tests show it’s been working satisfactorily.”  Batman began to type on the computer.  “Further delay is not an option, I’ve been away from Gotham for three days already, I can’t afford to take any more time off.  I imagine crime’s already at a peak.”

                “Actually, sir…”  But Alfred’s information was suddenly disregarded in favor of the images filling the screens.  Images of newspapers.  Newspapers bearing a very familiar image, and some rather provoking headlines.

                _Wonder Woman Sighted in Skies!_

_A New Face in Town: Is the League Moving to Clean Criminals?_

_Princess of Amazons comes to Gotham!_

_Dark Knight’s New Partner!_

                Batman slumped over in the chair.  “She didn’t…” he groaned.

                “Well how did you expect the lady to find the fugitives?” suggested Alfred respectfully.  “One cannot search from a plane, after all.”

                “I didn’t expect her to find the fugitives at all, Alfred.  I expected her to sit still and wait until I returned.” 

                “In short, sir, you expected nothing from her at all.  I am hardly surprised she did not fulfill those expectations.”

                With a snort, Batman leaned back.  “I suppose I should have known better.  To expect someone like her to work within my rules…” He shook his head.  “I should never have let her into the city.”

                “If I may, sir…”  Alfred dipped past his shoulder and tapped a few keys on the console.    A new series of images filled the screen.

                Batman studied the screen for a moment.  “That’s unusual.”  He muttered.

                “Unusual?  Sir, I was under the impression that it was unprecedented for someone to stand up to Bane.”

                “Unprecedented for someone sane to do so, perhaps,” snorted Batman.  “This, though… a lone security detachment from the bank firing on him… this is definitely strange.  Most people are simply struck dumb by his mere size.”

                “Observe the other articles also, sir.  Socialites at a town party tackling Scarface when he attempted to hold them hostage.  A bank robbery failing because the clerk simply refused to comply.”

                “Fortunate that the robber’s gun was not actually loaded.”

                “Indeed.  But I believe most robberies would have gone uncontested.  The reports from the police station are worth studying also, sir.”

                Glancing them over, Batman made a small noise of interest.  “Seventeen stool pigeons?  One of them from Dagget’s group, even.  And two more unidentified visitors… most likely high-ranking gangsters going over also.”  He narrowed his eyes.  “Why now?  Why so suddenly?  It’s too convenient… a ruse, most likely—but how would you coordinate it with the rival gangs?  A separate party, then, planting men in the other gangs to destabilize them at the proper moment.  But who would benefit?  Outside party… perhaps…”

                “If you would care to read through the statements taken down, I believe you may find a more prosaic answer, Master Wayne,” interrupted Alfred.  “The criminals who turned themselves in seem to have been under the impression that a crackdown on the Gotham gangs was imminent.  One of them used the term ‘the jig is up,’ I believe.”

                Batman took a moment to study the records.  “Hm.  I see.”  Frowning, he leaned back, considering.  Thoughts flickered across his face.

                “Pardon me, sir, there is one further matter.  You asked about the crime rates, I believe.”  Another click, and a few graphs came on-screen.  “Apparently there has been a sharp dip just recently.”

                Without saying a word, Batman’s eyes traced the graphs, analyzed them, drew conclusions.  Alfred patiently waited.  The connections between the different points of information was easy to draw, he just hoped the master would be able to admit it.  The deepening frown across Batman’s face did not give him great hope, but still, surely he would recognize at least the possible benefits of the situation.

“Perhaps you will not be needed after all tonight, sir?”

Batman’s gaze turned on his butler.  “Prepare the exo-suit, and run it through a few more simulations if it makes you feel better.  Contact Batgirl too.”

A sigh.  “Very good, sir.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Aw yeah?  Take some more of this!  And this!  And THIS!”  Three blasts of pure crackling energy pounded into a quickly-formed wall of light.

                Despite his brave words, Cyborg felt that the fight was going swiftly downhill.  What with three holes in his chest, a burst fuel line in his foot, and a crackling wire in his head, he could barely keep ahead of some of the nastier shots being levied at him.  He could only continually give back ground and hope that Dr. Light would ignore Neji and his fruitless attempts to destroy the light orbs chasing Beast Boy.  In retrospect, sending the short-range specialist to handle the flying stuff hadn’t been the _brightest_ idea.

                Still.  Give ground and move back.  If he could keep it up long enough, he might be able to get back to the bay and get reinforcements from Robin and the others.  And at least now that Dr. Light was back to using the old-fashioned solid light stuff, no more buildings were crumpling.

                “And here’s one last one!”  Again Cyborg fired his arm cannon, and again it had no effect.  He felt his energy levels drop and realized he couldn’t afford many more blasts like that.

                Dr. Light laughed, something he’d been doing a lot of recently.  “You know, I never realized before how FUN you kids can be!”  He shouted.  “So proud of your petty little powers, so confident in your supposed prowess… so completely ineffectual!”

                “Effectual enough to whoop your ass last time,” muttered Cyborg. 

                The simple statement had an amazing effect on the mad doctor.  “Silence!”  He roared.  “I was another man then… broken, blinded, barely half of what I am now!”  Swiftly he raised both fists.  “Now what I lost has been returned, and I am able to correct those former humiliations!”  His hands began to glow.

                _Aw shit_ , thought Cyborg, _I think this is going to hurt._

And then a sperm whale fell from the sky and landed on top of Dr. Light.  Though confused as to it’s origin, Cyborg promptly decided that it was the most amazing and beautiful sperm whale he’d ever seen.  And green too!  Who cared if it smashed through the ceiling and two floors, it was still…  just beautiful.  Cyborg even said as much to Neji as he came running up.

                “Yes.  Yes the Sperm Whale is quite impressive.”  Neji nodded, face stone serious.  “However, I doubt it will remain that way for long, and it would be best if we…”

                The rest of Neji’s words were cut off as said sperm whale came flying back up, morphing into a monkey and then back into Beast Boy as it landed next to them.   The next second Dr. Light leaped up onto the roof, glaring at the group of them.  Cyborg was distressed to observe that although roughened, his armor appeared largely untouched.   “So the others have returned, I see.”  He nodded, panting slightly.  “No matter.  I shall destroy you all together then.”

                “I think not.”  Neji’s eyes narrowed.

                “Neji, don’t…!”  But it was already too late.  Neji leapt across the roof toward their assailant, straight into a solidified light lasso.  It tightened around his neck, reared up, and suspended him above the ground, swiftly constricting.  Neither Cyborg nor Beast Boy had time to think as they shot forward, the roof racing beneath their feet.  Dr. Light noticed them just a second too late and shot out a new set of lassos. 

Beast Boy he caught, Cyborg he didn’t.

                “Raargh!”  Two pounds of plasto-steel compound smashed into Light’s face, knocking him off his feet and into the air.  Both light lassos dissipated  from the shock, and their two prisoners landed on the roof as Light plummeted from the building.

                Beast Boy cocked his head.  “…what happened to his light shield thing?”

                Cyborg shrugged.  “The personal one must only work against energy weap....”

                “Curses!”  Dr. Light once again shot into view, clear on the other side of the building.  A portion of his armor had folded outward and now shot a stream of energy earthward, keeping the doctor aloft.   “You shall pay for that indignity!”

                “A jetpack?  When the heck did you get a jetpack?” gaped Cyborg.

                “Ignorant fool!  This is not a jetpack, it is a mega-light projecter that pushes me off the ground using waves of solidified…”

                That was when Neji’s kunai flew straight into said mega-light projector.  The backpack sputtered, fizzled, then exploded, sending Dr. Light tumbling to the roof.  Although he saved himself from a complete fall with his wrist projectors, he was clearly drained, and his armor was looking worse than ever.  He attempted to shake it off, hissing, “You shall not defeat me.”

                “Hate to break it to you, Doc, but it kinda looks like we just did.”  Beast Boy shrugged.  “I mean, okay, you still got your powers, but you’ve used up most of your little toys, and we’ve still got plenty of fight left.”

                “You misunderstand me.  I cannot win, but you shall not defeat me.”  With a wink, Dr. Light disappeared from the rooftop.  “Adieu, so-called Titans.”

                “What the…”

                “Manipulation of electromagnetic field,” muttered Cyborg.  “I can’t see him with my robot eye either.”

                Neji’s eyes pulsed with chakra.  “Byakugan is ineffective also.”  He confirmed.  “Curious… usually it can penetrate such simple genjutsus.”

                “What the…” Spluttering, Beast Boy nearly bounced with frustration.  “But… but…but we can’t just let him get away!  Not after all this!”

                Suddenly, something rushed past them with a feral snarl.  Cyborg had just time to recognize Kiba before he shouted behind him.  “Follow me!  This way!”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Good to hear you’re back on your feet, Robin.”  Aqualad’s grinning face shone from the main screen in the control room.  “After your communicators went down we thought that… well, we were about ready to send a search team when the League contacted us.”

                Robin offered a short nod.  “I appreciate the thought, but next time you’re thinking about that, be careful.  The guys we had here were WAY past our class.”

                “That’s what the League said too.  Well, okay, what they said was that we should stay out of the whole thing and let them handle it.”  Aqualad’s face hardened in irritation.  “But who’s going to listen to that?”

                With a small grin, Robin nodded his agreement.  “On that note… you said we weren’t the only Titans to go off the grid.  Who was the other one?”

                “Kid Flash,” responded the other.  “Well, technically he’s not really ON the grid, but… Jinx came in last week and said he was missing.”

                “What about his communicator?”

                “Nothing.  He’s not answering and we can’t locate it.”

                “The homing beacon isn’t working?”  Robin frowned.  “That’s odd.  And… disturbing.”

                “To say the least.  I’ve sent out a general order to all Titans on call to check in.  Maybe it’s just an overreaction, but I feel we should check to see if anyone else is missing.”

                “Good initiative.  What results?”

                There was a pause.  “They’re still coming in.  We have a lot of members, Robin.”

                “True.  Suppose we’ll have to wait a day or so to be sure.”  Robin frowned a moment in thought.  “Contact me tomorrow with whatever you have then, we’ll see what we can do to locate any missing members.”

                Clearly incredulous, Aqualad arched an eyebrow.  “You sure?  You guys just had a near scrape yourselves, you don’t want…”

                “We’ve picked up some new manpower.  It won’t be a problem.”  Robin assured him.  “Now what do you have on Kid Flash?”

                “Not much.  Jinx says he was working on a case of some kind… but considering the kid’s detective skills, that can’t be much.  He was in Denver last we knew, but again, given his speed…”

                “…he could be almost anywhere by now,” finished Robin.  “Problematic.   Well, keep looking into it… I’d start from there and see what there might be that he might be investigating.”

                “Sounds good.  I’ll be in touch.”  A brief nod, and Aqualad’s image disappeared.

                Robin leaned back in his chair and sighed.  New recruits to train, a base to repair, and a missing Titan to find.  They’d be having a busy next couple weeks even if crime DIDN’T pick up.

                _Speaking of which_ , he thought, glancing at the clock, _where are Cyborg and the others?_

 

 

 

* * *

 

                “Holy cow, man!”  Cyborg panted.  “You can smell him from all the way over here?”

                ‘Here’ was a deserted road leading out of Jump City.  ‘Him’ was Dr. Light.  ‘You’ was Kiba, still leaping along at great strides, his nostrils wide and flaring.  He did not bother to turn or reply, but Neji did it for him.  “Yes, he can.  Stay on his tail.”

                Cyborg resisted the obvious pun and kept running.  These ninjas could move _crazy_ fast, like faster than Robin on a good day.  Beast Boy, now in wolf form, could keep up well enough, but Cyborg had significant difficulty.  Already he could feel his energy ebbing. _I really should have fully charged before going out on patrol._   He reflected grimly.

                Suddenly, with a fresh growl, Kiba gave an enormous leap, claws outstretched.  They raked across the air, electricity sparked from them, and the next second, a fully visible Dr. Light stood before them. 

With another roar, Kiba attacked him, but he had scarcely got in three blows before a burst of light blew him away into the nearest building.  Groaning, Kiba collapsed to the ground.  Close on his heels, Beast Boy galloped forward, but another light lasso sprouted from the doctor’s hands and tightened around his neck.  It lifted him off the ground and hung him in the air, heels kicking as he gasped for air.

“If I am to be defeated…” Light hissed, “…I will at least take one of you with me!”

Neither Cyborg nor Neji had time to think as they shot forward, the street racing beneath their feet.  Dr. Light saw them, but he had only one hand to attack with.  Cyborg he caught.  Neji he didn’t.

With unbelievable grace and fluidity, Neji shot under the man’s second attack and delivered a blow straight to his midsection.  Dr. Light stiffened, coughed, and fell over.

Standing, Neji gave a short bow to the fallen villain.  “A worthy battle,” was all he said, and then turned to Beast Boy.  “Are you well?”

Gar, gasping for air too hard to properly answer, managed a small nod.

“Good.”  Neji walked away, toward Kiba’s prone form, and began to administer first aid.  Cyborg growled.  Although he didn’t pretend to understand how, exactly, the ninja had paralyzed the man with one stroke, he still felt he should know enough to guard the prisoner.  Pushing himself to his feet, he joined Gar and gave him a little pat on the back before turning to Dr. Light.  “Time to go, Light,” said he brusquely, reaching over to handcuff the doctor.

Suddenly he froze.

“Cy?  What’s wrong?” asked Beast Boy, oblivious to the blood seeping from the villain’s mouth.

“He’s dead.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “You killed him.”

                The pale-eyed boy seemed a trifle puzzled by the question.  “Yes…?”

                Robin groaned and pressed his hands to his head.  “We don’t… you weren’t supposed to do that.”

                “Oh.  He was required for interrogation, then?  I apologize, but I was not informed of that prior to this operation.  I assumed termination was the objective.”

                “Termination is NEVER an objective.  Not with us,” glared Robin.  “We don’t kill.”

                Once again Neji seemed puzzled.  “But… the nature of the fight necessitated lethal action.  Cyborg…” he gestured to the glowering teen in the corner, “…knocked him off a ten-story building, I assumed the intent was to kill him with the fall.”

                “Well yeah, but…”  Cyborg spluttered.  “Dude, we knock people off buildings all the time!  They just never actually fall, they always catch themselves!”

                “So it was a distractionary measure?”  Neji blinked.  “But I thought you didn’t know he had that jetpack.  And Beast Boy destroyed it shortly after, he could have died from either of those falls.”

                “Dude, the point is that a fall NEVER actually kills anyone.”

                “Yes they do.  I’ve killed several people that way.”

                “The point is,” Robin interrupted, massaging his brow, “that neither Beast Boy nor Cyborg actually meant to kill Dr. Light.  You did.”

                “Yes.”  Neji nodded, the puzzled look back on his face.  “I was under the impression that he was an enemy of the village and must be apprehended or eliminated.  Given the proximity of the threat to my teammate, lethal force was the only option.”

                “How’d you do that, by the way?  I thought you targeted internal organs through their chakra coils?”

                Neji turned to the Sakura, who stood beside Naruto in the other side of the room.  Both of them looked more confused than disturbed.  “It is true that generally I use the chakra coils to determine the positioning of target organs.  However, I can, if necessary, rely on simple anatomical knowledge.  Organs are, after all, generally consistent in their placement.”

                “That’s pretty cool.”  Naruto grinned.

                Robin closed his eyes, trying to ward off the feeling of impending doom that enveloped him.  “Look.”  He said carefully.  “In our line of work, you’re not supposed to kill, understand?  Not by accident, definitely not by intent.  Regardless of the circumstances, you do NOT use lethal force.”

                “Why?”  All three ninjas looked confused.

                “You… you just don’t!”

                “We’re not the ones to make that call,” supplemented Robin, adding a nod to Cyborg’s statement.  “We capture, but we leave it up to the populace to try and sentence the criminals.  Not us.”

                Neji frowned.  “You try and sentence people who attack whole cities?”

                “Seems kinda backward.”  Sakura nodded.  “Attacking cities… that’s not just crime, that’s war.  In war, you can’t hold back against an enemy or you’ll die.  Unless, of course, you’re incredibly more talented than they are, but that doesn’t seem to have been an issue here.”

                Apparently more sympathetic, Naruto hesitantly offered, “I suppose… putting it before a trial WOULD keep people from holding grudges… from perpetuating the cycle.  But the risk—it doesn’t seem worth it, really.  I mean, if you’re pretty sure the civilians are going to execute him ANYWAY.”

                “Actually…”  Robin exchanged a glance with Cyborg, “…generally our society tries not to execute criminals either.”

                You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

                “WHAT?”  Sakura finally managed to screech.  “You mean you have tons of these… dangerous, homicidal maniacs out there and you don’t DO anything about them?”

                “Of course we do!  We capture them and lock them up!”  Robin insisted.  “We don’t kill people, but we…”

                “You lock them up and let them spend the rest of their life in prison, then?” frowned Neji.  “That does not seem a very attractive alternative.”

                Again sympathetic, Naruto shrugged.  “It… kinda makes sense.  I mean, it lets them live their life, but it keeps them from harming others.  I mean, once you lock them up, they’re pretty much locked up for good, right?”  He glanced expectantly from Cyborg to Robin.  “Right?  Right?””

                Neither met his gaze.

                “Oh my word.”  Sakura muttered.  “You people are just…”  Shaking her head, she finally let out a huge sigh.  “Whatever. We’re in your place, we follow your rules.   I’ll let the others know, we’ll do our best not to kill anyone from now on.”  As they began to file out, she paused at the doorway.  “Is this… going to cause any problems, by the way?  Will Neji have to do parole or anything?”

                Robin and Cyborg again exchanged glances.  “I don’t think so.”  Robin admitted.  “According to reports, there were a number of people who died in those buildings he destroyed.  The League might get a little angry—this is a big thing with them—but the city will be able to accept his death as an accident.”

                “Good.”  Sakura passed out the door, and Cyborg looked to Robin one last time.

                “Keep an eye on them for the moment,” sighed Robin.  “Tomorrow we’ll hold a full briefing and make sure everyone understands the hero rules.  I don’t think this should _actually_ be a problem—there wasn’t any malice involved—but that’s the kind of misunderstanding I only want to happen once.”

                “You’re just gonna let white-eyes walk, then?”

                “Not much else I can do, right now.  There’s not really a legal case, the city won’t complain at all, and considering the situation, the action is excusable.  He did save Beast Boy’s life, I can’t overlook that.  And from a tactical standpoint, they outnumber us, so with relations like they are, the last thing we want is more strain.”  He sighed again.  “The most I can do is tell the League and let them deal with it.”  Once more he glanced up at Cyborg.  “You just do your job with security and I’ll do mine with public relations, okay?”

                “Yes sir.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “A good game, Mr. Nara.”

                “For you, maybe.”  Shikamaru grunted.  Losing to his dad wasn’t so bad, but for some reason losing to this guy really irked him.

                “Oh, come now, Mr. Nara.  It took me nearly twenty more moves to defeat you this time.  And whether you believe it or not, I truly enjoyed the game.”  The bald man smirked.  “You are a most… fascinating opponent.  We must do this again sometime.”

                For a brief moment Shikamaru considered rejecting the proposal.  After all, he only seemed to lose, and if he was right about the man’s ulterior motives, playing further games could be dangerous…

                Boredom won out.  “Sure.  Tomorrow?”

                “Tomorrow it is, then.”  One last smile, and the wall faded back to opaque white.

 

* * *

 

 

                In the dark of the control room, a screen flickered into life.  _“This had better be important.”_   A familiar figure snapped.

                “Test driving the new exo-suit, I see.”  Amusement glimmered across Robin’s face.  “Seems a bit dangerous, Bruce.”

_“What’re you calling for?  Decided to take up my offer?”_

                “What, that?  No,”  snorted Robin.  “It’s not like you actually wanted me to take it anyway.”

                No one except Robin could have detected the hint of pride on Batman’s face.  _“So you figured it out, then.”_

                “I can’t _always_ tell when you’re manipulating me, Bruce, but that attempt was rather obvious.  Giving me a light sketch of the visitors before outlining our dilemma and deliberately antagonizing me…”  Shaking his head, Robin allowed himself a small smile.  “You must’ve been in a hurry.”

                _“I was.  The scheme would only have been believable while the girl was present to hear our argument.”_   Batman’s face had resumed its immobility.  _“So.  To return to my original question, what are you calling for?  Hoping to impress me with your detective skills?”_

                A snort came from the teen.  “As if.  No, I was hoping to deal with your insecurity issues.”

_“I wasn’t aware I had any.”_

                “That’s the issue.  You should.  There’s a small handicap to your plan, Bruce.”  Giving his best imitation of a Bat-glare, Robin leaned back in his seat.  “You sent us soldiers.  To do heroes’ work.  You DO realize the contradiction there, don’t you?”

                _“I did, but I thought you could handle it.  I take it I was wrong.”_

                “Oh, I can handle it, all right, but one of you leaguers should’ve explained things to them better.  I guess I’ll have to clean up your mess, though.  I’ll talk to them tomorrow.”

_“How many did they kill?”_

                “Just one.  Fortunately he’d gone homicidal and it was an in-battle situation, so legal problems should be at a minimum.”  Watching Batman closely, Robin added, “Funny thing though… he wasn’t the sort to go homicidal.  Dr. Light, one of our rogue’s gallery.  Generally harmless, but he did a number on the city this time.  Said something about ‘getting his mind back,’ or so Cyborg tells me.”

                _“Hm.”_   Batman’s brow knitted in concentration.  _“That’s interesting.”_

                “You’re telling me.  So is the fact that apparently the League has an auto-alert on his prison status.  Dr. Light seems a bit… below their attention.”

                _“Seemed, Robin.  Past tense.  Dr. Light is dead.”_

                “Why’d the League keep such a close eye on him, Bruce?  I’ve got a half-destroyed city here, I need to know where it came from.”

                Batman remained silent for a moment.  _“One of the League’s old messes.”_ He finally admitted.  _“We fought him once, back in the day.  One of our easier battles, but still much worse than anything you kids have ever experienced.”_

                “So.”  Robin nodded.  “Dr. Light was really something back in the day, eh?”

                A snort came from the speaker.  _“How did you think the moron you kids fought ever managed to develop light manipulation technology?  He used to be a brilliant quantum physics scientist at Lexcorp, one of the most intelligent men they had there.  One day, he just trashed the lab, killed his assistants, and went on a crime spree.  Superman could catch him but not hold him.  He called in the League and we managed to knock him out while we figured out what to do with him.”_

                “So what happened?”

                _“J’onn figured out he was under Luthor’s control… some kind of neural implant.  He went inside Light’s head and tried to remove it… didn’t work out.”_

                Robin frowned.  “You’re telling me the League turned Dr. Light into a vegetable?”

                _“J’onn didn’t know the full extent of his powers at the time, or the effects they might have on a human mind.  Dr. Light used to be a brilliant man—we hoped we could return him to that by removing Luthor’s influence.  And, with his powers, we weren’t even sure if we could keep him imprisoned anywhere for long.”_   Batman’s image shrugged.  _“We made a mistake.  A bad one, that none of us have ever forgotten.  There’s a reason why J’onn so rarely uses his mental powers, you realize.”_

                “I suppose so.”  Robin’s face was blank, calculating.  “So how’d Dr. Light suddenly regain all that lost ability?”

                _“I don’t know.  Theoretically, it shouldn’t be even possible.  The League kept an eye on him just in case, but we felt sure he’d never be himself again.  It’s definitely disturbing to hear he somehow regained it.”_

                “Before dying.”

                “ _Yes, before dying.  Well, those are your answers, Robin.  Now is there anything else, or can I get back to work?”_

                “Just one thing more, Bruce.”  Robin leaned forward in his chair and locked gazes with his mentor.  “I made this call for a lot of reasons, but the main one was to let you know I’m wise to your game and that I won’t play it with _you_.  You’re right, these guys need to be watched and trained, but _I’m_ going to be the one responsible for that.  We’re going along with the plan, but we won’t be used.  No League interference.  At all.  Security feeds and any information I learn from them will stay here.  Training, assimilation, and counseling are all up to me and my team, not you.  I’m making this call once, and only once, to let you know I won’t be doing it again.”

                Batman’s face showed no change at all. _“In that case, I wish you the best of luck.  You’re going to need it.  The image flickered and died away.  “Batman out.”_

 


	12. Adaptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninjas--good and bad--begin to adapt to their new world, and Hinata gets a strange message

 

                “THIS WORLD HAS RAMEN!”

                A few days had passed since the attack by Dr. Light, and things had begun to settle into a kind of stability.  To Robin’s relief, most of the ninjas had followed the ‘no-killing’ rule rather well, and had handled the subsequent situations quickly and professionally.  So professionally, in fact, that the Titans had more time to themselves than ever before.  Though three ninjas and one Titan were always on call, the remaining eleven teenagers were free to spend time as they wished.  Even Robin, their leader, could manage to sit here in a restaurant with some of them, listening to Naruto expound on the glories of steamed noodles.

                “Oh, and the VARIETIES!  Okay, so it’s not as good as Ichiraku’s, but man, they must have like sixty different kinds here!  I could try a new kind of ramen every meal for a week and not finish them all!”  Naruto practically cried as he stuffed another forkful in his mouth.  “I knew this world couldn’t be all bad.”  He murmured reverently.

                Cyborg, seated just next to Naruto, let out a snort.  “Thanks man.  Glad to hear the place isn’t a total letdown.”

                “You’re welcome.”  Naruto nodded, utterly lost in ramen.  “Ohmanohmanohman.  It even has something called ‘chocolate ramen!’  Oh, I GOTTA try that.”

                Part of the reason Robin had agreed to go on this trip was to learn more about the blonde.  Clearly, the rest of the ninjas respected him, but it was difficult to see why.  He definitely had the power to be a leader—his battle with Superman showed that, at least—but planning?  Charisma?  Decisive action?  The blond didn’t seem to have them.  Leaving his followers largely to their own designs, he tended to take on all the burdens himself. 

                Taking on burdens was an excellent attribute for a leader, but so was knowing how to delegate said burdens.  From what Robin could see, Naruto seemed to inspire more than truly lead.  But then Robin hadn’t really seen much of him at all, outside of what daily observation and interaction (supplemented by footage of every moment the teen spent inside the tower) had provided.  Hence, this quick trip to the restaurant.  He needed to directly interact with the blonde, try to figure out what made him tick.

                So far, all he’d learned was that the boy had a passion for ramen.

                “Is he always like this?” he questioned the other occupant of the table.

                In response, Chouji grinned.  “Pretty much.  He eats ramen all the time back in Konoha.  Hey, what’s this ‘steak’ stuff that the menu recommends?”

                “Dude, you’ve never had steak?”  Cyborg offered the chubby boy a grin of his own.  “We have GOT to take you to a barbeque sometime.”

                “Steaks are like barbeque?  THAT stuff I know about.”  Chouji folded up his menu.  “I’ll take two.”

                “You know about barbeque, but not steak.”  Robin frowned.

                “Yeah, why?”

                Shaking his head, Robin decided to let it go.  These inconsistencies usually weren’t worth the trouble.  As he glanced up, he caught Cyborg looking at him.  “What?”  he asked, annoyed.

                Cyborg ducked his head immediately.  “Nuthin… Nuthin, boss.  It’s just… kinda weird to see you without a mask.”

                Shrugging, Robin answered, “It’s a little odd seeing you without the cybernetic implants.”

                “It is.”  Cyborg agreed, looking down at his solidly human body.  “Sorta… freaky, really.”  A spasm of pain crossed his face.  “What’d you guys call this… thingie you can do again?”

                “Henge,” answered Naruto, deep into his third bowl of Ramen.  “It’s like a transformation jutsu.  We use it for disguises and such.  Actually, I didn’t know if it would work on you guys, but looks like it went okay.”

                Robin nodded, tracing his fingers over his new, unfamiliar face.  It wasn’t Dick Grayson’s face, but it shared a frightening amount of similarities.  And Cyborg, he knew, was doing his best not to spaz out over the sensation, however artificial, of being human again.  Robin wasn’t quite sure the added precaution was worth it—after all, the Titans went to lunch all the time in full costume—but it was a useful technique to at least be aware of, and it WAS nice to not be receiving so many stares from bystanders.

                “Pity the others didn’t come.”  Chouji’s musing broke in on his thoughts.  “Woulda been kinda fun to have a team meal.”

                Naruto let out a little snort of laughter.  “C’mon, Chouji.  Lee spends every minute in the training room, and Neji’s gotta do matches with him SOMETIMES.  Sakura’s barely budged from that computer room since we got here—say, how’s that going with her?”

                Cyborg shrugged.  “It’s going okay.  She picks up stuff pretty fast, I’ll say that for her.  I mean, she ain’t gonna be writing Xbox games any day, but she’s doing pretty well with what we’ve got.”

                “She always was the smart one,” laughed Naruto.  “Anyway, where was I?”

                “Team meals.”  Robin supplied.  Privately he pondered the wisdom of pressing Naruto on the subject of Sakura.  The two had been nearly constantly avoiding each other since the day of arrival.

                “Right, yeah.  Anyway, so Sakura’s doing her whole studying thing, Kiba’s still trying to work out some jutsus that DON’T involve Akamaru; Shino, Hinata, and Sai are out on patrol with Starfire; and Ino… well, she doesn’t eat much anyway.”

                “Doesn’t do much of anything, recently,” commented Robin, jumping on the chance.   “Does she usually stay off by herself like that?”

                A troubled expression across his face, Chouji shook his head.  “No.  No she doesn’t.  It’s kinda bothering me too.”

                “Hm.”  Robin wondered momentarily if he should contact the League but discarded the idea.  There was nothing inherently dangerous or suspicious about a young teenage girl wanting a private room to herself, far away from the others.  Nor was there really anything wrong with her staying in that room 24/7 with the lights off.  It was a trifle disturbing, but having Raven in the same tower put it more into perspective.  Especially since Raven had been acting antisocial herself recently—more than normal, anyway.

                A distant explosion made Robin glance up sharply and half-start from his seat.  Cyborg stopped him with a motion.  “Relax boss.  We’re on break.”

                “We could still check it out,” commented Chouji.  “They might need assistance.”

                “No, they’ll be fine.”  Robin sat back down with a sigh.  “If they need help they’ll call for it.”

                Chouji shrugged.  “If you say so.”

                “Huh.”  Naruto was glancing about the diner now, a ramen noodle dangling from his mouth.  “You know, this place would be great for… hm.”

                “How do you guys deal with crooks back home?”  asked Cyborg, ignoring Naruto’s musings.  “I mean, if everyone’s super-powered, how do you handle so many meta-crooks?”

                “They’re not all… ah… like us.  Civilians can’t use chakra.”

                Robin frowned.  “Seems like that would make it worse.  How do the civilians deal with ultra-powered soldiers walking around their store or restaurant?  Or, for that matter, having stealth operatives shop?”

                “We have enforcement squads.”  Naruto finally re-entered the conversation.  “Military police and the ANBU keep an eye on things in the village, especially ninja.  Using jutsus in shops and such is forbidden.”

                “And if someone breaks the rules?”

                “Then the ANBU nabs them.  Nobody messes with the ANBU,” shrugged Naruto.

                “What if they do?”  Robin found this interesting.  The ‘ANBU’ sounded roughly equivalent to the superhero patrols.  So what about supervillains?

                Considering the question, Naruto frowned.  “Depends.  Generally, off-duty ninjas are discouraged from interfering in ANBU or police business.  But if a fight gets bad enough, sometimes other ninjas will jump in to help.  And if it’s a major threat…”  Naruto glanced to Chouji, “…we have a system set up to alert all ninja around the village, off-duty, retired, or otherwise, to come and help.”

                “I see.”  A whole CITY of superheroes, organized into a military structure, where any citizen off the street—well, not any, but most—could just leap up and help in the defense of the city… a fascinating vision.  Dangerous, perhaps, but fascinating.  Equivalent to a Grecian city-state, almost.  “Your world sounds very interesting.”

                “My world is AWESOME, man.”

                Cyborg rolled his eyes.  “Let me guess.  Because it has ramen?”

                “Oh, does it ever!  It has the most incredible ramen in the history of ramen!  There’s this one place, Ichiraku’s…”  Naruto got all misty on the edges of his eyes.  “I… I better not talk about it.  Dude, if I could, I’d run over there and grab a bowl so you could just see how incredible it is.  I really wish that portal they’re building was done already.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “So what’s the main problem with the portal?”  Superman frowned at the enormous metal circle before him.

                “The main problem is that I don’t know how to build it!” snapped Terrific, clearly irritated.  “Oh, I got the schematics alright…” he waved toward the other metal circle in the room.  “I’ve studied Batman’s interdimensional window until I know it backwards.  But that’s a portal using technology VERY similar to ours to get to a parallel universe VERY close to ours.”  He paused.  “By the way, why did Batman keep the portal to the Lords Universe?”

                Shrugging, Superman responded: “He’s Batman.  It was probably for some back-up plan.”

                “I suppose so.  Anyway, the point is that this sort of thing is completely different.  We’re trying to build a portal to a universe completely separate from our own.  Even with the dimensional transpondance frequency we have from the satellites, it’s not just a simple matter of plugging them in and starting the portal up.  For all we know, we might not even be using the right technology!  We might need to employ this… chakra energy of theirs in some kind of biomechanical creation just to get around the right area!  And then there’s the need to make sure we don’t put THEM in an alternate universe of their OWN world…”

                “Complicated then.”

                “Yes.  Very.”

                Superman turned to the other occupant of the room.  “Anything to offer, Dr. Fate?”

                The golden helmet of the powerful magus shook in reply.  “I fear not.  I am… unfamiliar this source of energy they are using, this… chakra.  I have no understanding of the energy imbibing your prisoner downstairs.  Or rather, I have a slight understanding of it, but certainly not enough to manipulate it.   I could, perhaps, risk it, but in this case, I cannot quite see the point.”

                “The point?”  Superman arched an eyebrow at Dr. Fate.  “We promised we do whatever we could to get these kids back to where they came from.”

                “True.  But for the moment at least, the children are quite safe where they are.  Indeed I might almost say they are exactly where they need to be.”  Shrugging, Dr. Fate continued, “In either case, I cannot help you in this matter.”

                “Guess you’re on your own then, Terrific.”  Superman shot the scientist a glance, trying to hide his disappointment.

                Fortunately, Mr. Terrific did not seem let down at all.  “Didn’t really figure this was the sort of thing Fate could help us with anyway.  I can do it, it’s just… difficult.  Especially without any kind of understanding of what this ‘chakra’ is, or the ‘Sharingan’ that used it.”  Sighing, he glanced up at the metal ring again.  “What would really be helpful is some kind of example to work from, but that’s not likely to happen.”

                “No.”  Superman agreed.  “Anyway, keep on it, and let us know if you need anything.”

                “Was there something else you wanted my help with?” asked Dr. Fate.

                “Just your advice on something odd.  Blue Devil said one of the girls in the group felt… strange, almost like his trident.  Do you know what would cause something like that?”

                Dr. Fate shook his head once again.  “Blue Devil’s magic is of a kind very different than my own, and I do not understand his trident at all.  I fear I am spectacularly useless to your League on this occasion.  However, I can perhaps summon a spirit better able to help you.” 

Looking up, the mage sighed.  Puzzlement had written itself all across Superman’s face.  “Blue Devil is of the supernatural realm.”  Dr. Fate explained.  “Specifically, connected to that of the afterlife.  While I do have dealings in that sphere, it is a dangerous one to investigate.  It would be better to ask an inhabitant of the realm—to summon a ghost, in other words.”  A touch of humor entered his voice.  “You may, however, want to choose your ghost carefully.  Most dead spirits prefer to stay dead, and may be unwilling to give you the information you need.”

“Hm.”  Superman considered, then suddenly brightened.  “You know, there was this one ghost who helped us before—Boston Brand, I think Bats said his name was.”

“Ah.  I know him, he is one of the servants of Rama Kushna.”  Dr. Fate nodded.  “He still walks the earth, attempting to atone for his last crime.  He would be willing to help you.  Very well.  I shall contact for you the one called Deadman.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Hey,” waved Beast Boy as he waltzed into the room.  “Where is everyone?  This place is dead.”

                Kiba barely looked up from the scroll he was studying.  “Chouji took some of them out to lunch, I think.  Lee and Neji are still here, they’re sparring downstairs.  Sakura too, she’s up in the control room.  And I’m not sure, but I’d guess that Ino and your friend Raven are still in their rooms upstairs.”

                “Well yeah, if you count them.”  Beast Boy rolled his eyes, walking over to the boy.  “Dunno what’s come over Raven lately, she’s acting past her normal level of weird lately.”

                “It’s Naruto.  Neji told me that Raven doesn’t like him.”

                “Oh?  I guess he is the sort that would get on her nerves.  Still, she’ll get over it eventually.”  Squatting, he peered at the Japanese characters on the scroll.  “What’re you up to?”

                “Studying jutsus,” answered Kiba.  “Don’t ask me WHY Sakura carries spare earth jutsu scrolls with her on missions, but she does, and I’m trying to see if I can use any of them.”

                “Why?”

                “Because without Akamaru, half my jutsu’s don’t work, that’s why.  I need new ones if I’m going to be anything but a hindrance on missions.”

                “Oh.  Right.”  Wrinkling his nose in thought, Beast Boy asked hesitantly, “Akamaru… that’s like… your big wolf-dog… back in Konoha.  Right?” 

                “He’s my partner.  I do everything with him.  Walk, work, ride, fight… everything.”  Kiba’s mouth hardened in a firm line.  “Inuzuka children are practically raised alongside their dogs, they feed and train them themselves.  I understand him better than I do most humans.”

                “Uh-huh.  And he didn’t make the jump with the rest of you guys?”

                “Apparently not.  Either that, or he’s still out there in the world.  Maybe that one bald guy has him.  I don’t know.  The only thing for sure is that without him, I’m nothing.  I’ve never been without him for long before.”  Fisting a handful  of scroll, Kiba continued, “So until we can find him, I study jutsus.  Except Sakura only keeps low-chakra techniques that require insane amounts of control which I don’t HAVE!”

                “Hm.”  Beast Boy studied the scroll as it flew across the room.  “Bummer.”

                “You’re telling me.”  Kiba leaned back with a sigh.  “What’re you doing here, anyway?”

                A shrug.  “I was bored.  Tried to go up to talk to Raven, but she’s not feeling very talkative lately.”

                “Surprise.”

                “It is, actually.  I mean, okay, she gets annoyed when I run off at the mouth all the time, but usually she at least hears me out or makes a snarky comment or something.  Doesn’t usually seal the door with dark magic like that.”

                “What, when you started talking?”

                “No, it was like that when I got there.  Too bad really, I was even shifted in dog form.  She loves me in dog form!”

                Kiba eyed the hyperactive youngster dubiously.  “She does?”

                “Oh yeah!”  A second later there was a green beagle with enormous eyes looking up at him.  “See?  Who couldn’t love a face like this?”

                “It looks stupid.”  Kiba frowned. 

                “Does not!”  The beagle took on an irritated expression.  “Anyway, it’s not like that’s the only form I can use on her.  I can do every single dog form in the world!”

                “Every?”

                “Every single one!  Here, tell me what Akamaru looks like.  Betcha I can copy him!”

                Kiba snorted.  “Trust me.  They don’t got dogs like him here.”

                “So?  C’mon, give me a try with this!”

                “Okay.”  Kiba shifted wearily around to look at the beagle.  “Picture maybe… I dunno, one of your wolves, roughly the size of a horse…”

 

* * *

 

 

                “You seem to be coming along quite well, Miss Karin.”

                Karin started away from the railing and nearly dropped her clipboard.  “L-l-l-luthor-san!”  She gasped.    “I did not know you were…”

                “That’s the point of a surprise inspection, Miss Karin.  You’re NOT supposed to know,” reminded Luthor as he stepped to the railing beside her.  Below them, hundreds of bubbling tubes housed fragile pink blobs of humanity, wires and tubes sprouting from every aperture.  “How are the clones coming along?  I can see the progress myself, but tell me if there’s anything I’m NOT seeing.”

                Swallowing, Karin summoned up her nerve.  “Thirty-six test embryos are currently developing under the altered conditions we determined from the third test group.  So far, twelve of them show promising developments, but the rest are scheduled to be drained tomorrow, when we will begin autopsies.  The four still surviving prototypes from test group three are also undergoing examination, one has begun degeneration…”

                “Miss Karin, I SAID I can see the progress for myself.”  Luthor gave her a terse look.  “I receive daily reports as to the results of your experimentation.  What I want you to tell me is what you yourself have observed.”

                “Yes… forgive me. Well, from what I myself have observed, I doubt very much that any of the embryos will develop Curse Seal blood.  I can’t detect any latent chakra signatures in them at this stage, something they really should have formed by now.  As I told you earlier, I’m not entirely sure cloning will work, as the chakra technique…”

                “Your opinion does not concern me.  Continue the cloning experiments.”  Luthor gave her a cold, imperious glance.

                Karin nearly choked.  “Y-yes sir.  It may be possible to STIMULATE chakra through direct injection of chakra energy—provided by one of the ninjas, perhaps.”

                “Better.  Any suggestions as to which ninja would be most useful?”

                “Well…”   Karin flipped through her clipboard.  “The chief difficulty is that the ninja has to be a willing participant in the exchange.  “It’s not quite so simply a matter of extracting chakra and pumping it back in.  Procedures for that exist, but I don’t think we have the means here.  The ninja must be an expert in chakra control to…”

                “Miss Karin.  I asked you for a suggestion, not an explanation.”

                “Y-yes sir.  The best candidate would ah… probably be myself.”

                Cocking an eyebrow, Luthor looked at the young woman.  “And why is that?”

                “I am a medical ninja by profession, Luthor-san.  I heal myself and others through the direct application of chakra to their system, usually through the oral cavity.  Hence, I am the one most qualified to conduct this procedure.  Also,” a terrified glimmer of a smile flickered across her face, “I am the only one likely to consent to such a procedure.  The Nara is too intelligent and might try something, and the other… though she perhaps possesses the training and control, she would never agree to it.”

                “I see.”  Luthor glanced down again, studying a tube occupant.  “What does this procedure involve?”

                Karin hesitated.  “Um… the recipient of the chakra… needs to… bite me.”

                A pause.  Luthor turned slowly from the glowing tanks and studied her.

                “W-well…” Karin hastened to explain, her words practically tumbling over each other.  “My skin has an inordinate amount of chakra you see—in the early days I specifically infused it to enhance my appearance—and thus I have a great deal of surplus chakra stored within my epidermal cells, chakra that can only be released by breaking the epidermal layer.  Using the outlet generally used for ingesting chakra makes it easier…”

                “That’s quite enough.”  Rolling his eyes, Luthor dismissed the explanation with a wave of his hand.  “I don’t even WANT to know.”  He turned back to the tanks.  “So we get the embryos to bite you.  I think the group three survivors are the only ones with teeth, so you’d best do it tomorrow.”

                “Y-yes sir.”

                “And the hybrids?  How are those coming?”

                “Better, sir.  Much better.  The injection of Juugo’s blood into human test subjects has yielded a number of promising results, although there ARE the standard casualties to insanity and death.  We’re working to minimize that right now.  As I told you, my former master himself never perfected the use of the curse seal, but then…”  Karin cast a semi-admiring glance around her workspace.  “…he didn’t have equipment like this.”

                “Indeed.  I must congratulate you, Miss Karin, on picking up on all this new technology so quickly.  Your skill in genetics is really quite impressive.  But then…” he cast a look down at her and smirked, “…you have plenty of motivation, do you not?”

                Karin’s hand itched to touch the device attached to her neck, but she kept them firmly gripped on her clipboard.  “Y-yes, Luthor-san.”  She answered quietly. “Thank you for letting the surgeons use anesthetic during the procedure, sir.”

                “Why wouldn’t I?”  The man lifted an amused eyebrow.  “Anesthetic is essential in such an operation, it keeps blood pressure down and lessens the possibility of trauma to the spinal cord.”

                “M-my old master… wouldn’t have bothered with it…”

                The bald man gave a little snort.  “Your old master sounds like a very twisted man.  Or a very stupid one.  Probably both.  Operating without anesthetic serves no purpose except the arousal of pain, which makes the operation much more risky and much more difficult.  Science is science, using science to indulge your taste for cruelty is just senseless.  It’s no wonder he didn’t have much luck with his clones.”

“As… you say, sir.”

                “We do not engage in senseless cruelty here.  Cruelty, yes, but purposeful cruelty.”  Luthor smiled thinly at the tanks lining the walls.  “Science is not about gratification of the sensations or of the ego.  Science is about results.  About applications.  About POWER.  Getting distracted toward one or the other results in unprofitable science.  The purpose of the explosive is not to terrify you or show you my power.  It is merely there to kill you if you deviate from your purpose.”

                “Y-yes sir.” 

Turning from the railing, he gave Karin a small nod.  “Miss Karin, I shall be back to observe your progress tomorrow.”  With a light pat on her neck and a somewhat predatory smile, he left the room.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Ah!  This world has not lessened your skill, my eternal rival!”

                “Please stop calling me that.”

                Robin smirked at the voices emitting from the training room.  Although Lee and Neji had been at it since this morning, he couldn’t say he was surprised to find them still going on his return from the restaurant.  Lee had all of Flash’s enthusiasm and Neji all of Batman’s stubbornness.  What the ‘eternal rivalry’ bit meant he still didn’t quite understand—certainly the Hyuuga did not seem to consider it valid—but he had seen enough for him to expect that this fight would probably last for the better part of the afternoon.

                Robin had expected Lee and Neji to still be at work, and that was why he had come down here.  Of late, he’d found the two martial-arts (taijutsu, they called it) specialists to be rather interesting.  He’d watched a great many of their fights and felt he was on the verge of… something.

                Pausing for a moment outside the door, Robin prepared himself, unsure what the room was set as today.  The ninjas had quickly become fascinated with the training room, especially its ‘solid holograms’ technology they had adopted from the Justice League.  From their constant talk of ‘genjutsu,’ Robin gathered that they had some familiarity with the concept, but not the execution.  Personally, Robin couldn’t see the point of an illusion that could be broken through physical pain, but he could hardly expect their methods to work the same as his.  And he supposed driving someone insane through illusions had a sort of twisted logic to it.  In either case, they recognized the potential of using a ‘genjutsu’ to train in and constantly tried out new simulations on it.  Lee, unsurprisingly, had gone through all.

So, when he opened the door to find only the plain blank room that the training area was, he felt a trifle disappointed.  But that was swiftly made up by the action of the two combatants on the floor.

Lee shot around his opponent at a remarkable speed, weaving in and out of the deadly hands and their blue glow.  Something else Robin didn’t understand—apparently Neji could target internal organs.  Supposedly he never actually did so during their training sessions, but Lee certainly behaved as if he did.   Not one of Neji’s thrusts or kicks ever came close to touching the green-clad chunin (THAT term Robin knew, though it seemed an odd one).  The feat was all the more remarkable because Lee was operating under a handicap.  Even at this distance, Robin could see the bulge of the weights around his ankles.

Sure, the weights on his leg couldn’t be very heavy at that size, but still—the feat was rather remarkable.

He continued to watch the two at work.  Neji’s power made his strikes formidable, but they were rigid, predictable.  They all followed the same rules, they all struck in the same way.  His strange eyes meant that you couldn’t take advantage of the usual openings, but the moves themselves were predictable.

Apparently Lee knew this too, as he could clearly anticipate nearly every one of Neji’s blows and avoid them.  But he too, operated in a very straightforward, linear attack pattern.  Crazy fast, yes, but predictable.  If the other opponent had quick enough eyes and reflexes…

Robin made his decision.  “Hey.”  He called to the two.  “Let me have a try.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                _Please, give me another chance Bruce.  Please give me a chance you pompous, brooding man, or so help me I will…  Just one more try.  Please let me have just one more try before you hole up in that cave and molder away your life in…_

                “Princess.”  The monotone greeted her as she materialized in the cave.  Batman did not even look up from the computer.  “Glad you could make it on such short notice.”

                “Not like there’s much else going on at the Watchtower.”  Diana shrugged as she ambled up to his side.  “At least, not much that I can actually help with.  Still… this is important, isn’t it?  Not just you wanting to berate me about my actions in Gotham?”

                Batman’s gaze did not flicker from the computer.  “A little of both,” said he, tapping a few keys on the computer.  Instantly images lit up the screen, showing a riot of some kind in downtown Gotham.  A crowd of armed gunmen clad in tan jumpsuits surrounded a pile of cars, upon which a curiously feline figure was perched.  She seemed to be shouting something.

                Peering at the images, Wonder Woman frowned.  “Oh, I recognize her.  Cheetah, right?”

“Correct,” nodded Batman.  “Cheetah, the result of unauthorized lab tests involving feline stem cells.  Former associate of Luthor’s, consistent annoyance to the League.  Despite abilities, generally imprisoned for nothing worse than theft, assault and battery, and the occasional act of terror.”

“Hm.   Haven’t seen her since Grodd’s Legion broke up.”

“She’s been completely off the radar until now.  Very few crimes have been actually traced to her, and until she showed up in Gotham last night, her whereabouts were unknown.  Judging from her recent appearance, however, she has been busy.”  Batman tapped on a few more keys and other images sprung to life.  “She’s picked up some new… enhancements, and apparently grabbed some followers.”

“Some men will follow any pretty face.”  Diana snorted.

Although his face twitched in an odd manner, Batman replied only, “Yes.”

                “Well very interesting Bruce, but what’re you showing me all this for?  Why not just call the League in on her?  Or handle it yourself?”

                “Because you should make up for your mistakes, that’s why.”

                “Me?”  If she hadn’t been so shocked, Diana would have punched the man.  “What makes you say this is my fault?”

                Finally, Batman swiveled around in his chair to glare directly at her.  “You exposed yourself.”

                Diana blinked.  “What?”

                “You flew.  In public.”  The bat-glare deepened.  “I let you into Gotham ONLY because you promised to follow my rules.  Making a spectacle of yourself is decidedly against those rules.”

                “You’re saying this is my fault because a bunch of people saw me?”  This time Diana nearly DID punch him.  “Bruce, Clark flies around Metropolis all the time!”

                “Exactly.”

                “What?”

                With a sigh, Batman laced his fingers together and gazed at them.  “It may perhaps be hard for you to understand, Diana, but here it is.  Criminals respond to challenges.  A master thief robs a bank partly because he wants the money, but partly also because it is difficult.  The greater the challenge, the more criminals will strive to overcome it.”

                “Heroes, like us, are simply one more challenge.”  Batman gestured at the screen again.  “Yes, Superman flies around Metropolis all the time.  How many ultra-powered criminals have appeared there since he began crime-fighting?  You seriously think it is mere coincidence that attracts them to Metropolis and not to simply, say, Kalamazoo?  Crooks like Parasite and Luminus could go to rob anyplace, but they choose to remain in Metropolis because they want to be the one to defeat Superman.  How many super-villains has Luthor created for that express purpose?  How many have created themselves for the same reason?”  Batman gestured with his hands.  “No sooner does a powerful hero arise in a city than powerful criminals begin to flock there for the honor of defeating the strongest man on earth.”

                Diana said nothing.  It made an unfortunate amount of sense.

                “I had… hoped to save Gotham from this kind of escalation.”  Batman continued, returning his gaze to his fingers.  “True, Gotham has metas of its own, but they are manageable, containable.  I don’t have to destroy an entire city block just to defeat Killer Croc, or even Bane.  There’s a reason why insurance rates are so high in Metropolis, and in turn a reason why barely anyone can afford to live there.  I work from the shadows, I remain as inconspicuous as possible, and hence the metas ignore this city.”  A small grin tugged at his face. “As a mere man, I present no challenge, after all.”

                “So you’ve been keeping the League from this city to make it appear unimportant.”

                “Exactly.  Meta-criminals have no interest in Gotham.  Gangsters do, because it is the only place most feel they have a chance.  But so do businesses, research centers, and new families.  While Metropolis’ tourism business has been booming, Gotham’s industry and population have been growing at unprecedented rates.  Most people would rather live in a city where the buildings stay standing.”

                “I… see.”  Diana blinked, her mind reeling.  All this was very new to her, very different from the world of warriors and battles she’d known in Themyscira and the Justice League.  She had never really considered the domestic or economic side of their work.  And she’d never thought that Bruce considered it either.

                A snort interrupted her thoughts.  “Bruce Wayne is not completely a disguise.  I am also a businessman.”  Clearly reading her mind, Batman glared at her.

                “Of… of course.”  Diana returned her interest to the screen.  “So… you’re saying that I’ve given Gotham a reputation for supers, and now the supervillains will start coming.”

                “Like moths to a candle.”  Batman turned back to the computer.  “Don’t expect me to believe that Cheetah’s appearance, within a week of your own, is any sort of coincidence.”

                “Give me some sort of credit, Bruce.  I can see the connection there easily enough.”  Diana snorted, momentarily forgetting herself. 

                Batman gave an almost-apologetic nod.  “Very well.”  He paused a moment.  “This time, Princess, can I expect you to better abide by my rules?”

                Shooting a disbelieving look at the crimefighter, Diana cleared her throat several times before responding.  “Well… yes, of course.  Now that I understand the reasoning behind them.”  She hesitated, unsure as to the wisdom of pressing further.  “But… Bruce?  Why are you inviting me to take care of this?  Isn’t this…  I mean, it seems like normally you’d just take care of her yourself.”

                For a moment there was a silence, and Diana stood there in confused anxiety.  Finally, with a sigh, Batman swiveled his chair around to face her.

                “Something else has been happening in Gotham since you arrived.”  He admitted.  “The gangs, cartels, and mobs have been falling apart.  Members are leaving, children on the streets no longer flock to the nearest racket boss.  And there’s more.”  Uncharacteristically, he hesitated, and then, with a grimace, continued.  “The people in Gotham have started to stand up against the criminals.  Just small reports, mind you—an officer who refused to cooperate, a clerk who tackled a gunman—but it’s something I’d never thought to see.”

                “So.”  He shrugged.  “If you disappear, the criminals return and gain more power than ever before.  The people lose heart and become even more servile than before.  For the time being, then, it’s important you remain in Gotham.”  His glare quickly stopped the smile rising on the Amazonian’s lips.  “But it will be on MY terms, princess.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Naruto had had a lot of stupid ideas in his life.  Stealing the scroll.  Mouthing off to everyone in class.  Challenging Neji.  Chasing after Sasuke.  Stupid ideas filled his brain like air filled a balloon.  By this point, he could even recognize a stupid idea as it formed.

                So, as he stood before Raven’s door and stared at the numerous strange symbols surrounding it, he could tell, this was a stupid idea.  But that had never really stopped him before, so he knocked on the door anyway.

                He felt almost surprised when the door opened immediately and an irate Raven stepped out.  “Gar, I told you, I…”  She stopped.  “Oh.  It’s you.”  Though she rolled her eyes, she did not leave the door.  “Fine.  What is it?”

                “Um… I wanted to talk to you.”

                “So?”

                “Ah…”  This girl’s stare rather disconcerted him.  It felt something like meeting a much calmer Gaara.   “Well… the guys at the watchtower said you were a demon host of some kind.  Y’know, like me.”

                Raven winced slightly.  “So?”

                “Well… you just seem to have yours under better control, that’s all.   I was wondering if you could teach me how to control Kyuubi.”  Naruto tried a winning smile.  Asking a GIRL for help was a slightly new experience for him—his harem-no-jutsu would have no effect here.

                “Kyuubi?  Nine-tails?”  The girl gave a little snort.  “That’s what yours is called?”

                “Yeah.  Can you help me get him under control?”

                “No.”

                “What?”  Not much of a surprise really, but he simply had to know more.  “Why not?”

                In response, Raven shrugged.  “It’s pointless.  Besides, I don’t like you.”

                He’d expected that.  Neji had told him.  “Why?  We’re both _jinchuuriki_!  We need to stick together, we… we’re really pretty similar, if you think about it!”

                “Not really.”  Raven shook her head.  “I’m not this _jinchuuriki_ of yours.  I’m more like… I guess you’d call it a _hanyou_.  A half-demon.  I don’t really contain a demon so much as provide a portal for one to destroy the world.”

                “Wait, what?”  Naruto blinked.

                “Exactly,” nodded Raven, eyes neutral.  “I seriously doubt you’ve been through the experience of destroying your entire home world and nearly destroying your new one.”

                Naruto frowned.  “Maybe not, but everybody always expected me to.”

                “Another difference.  None of my friends believed I would.”  She frowned.  “I don’t know what it’s like to have people hate you for something you didn’t do.  I only know what it is to go through life knowing you’re fated to kill everyone, even your friends, someday.”  Her eyes narrowed.  “You tell me, which is worse?”

                “Don’t YOU start with the fate crap.”  Naruto seethed.  The girl was starting to get on his nerves.  “How am I supposed to know?”

                “Exactly.  You’re not supposed to.  You can’t.  Just as I can’t know what it’s like to be you.”  Once again Raven turned toward the room.  “Thus why my help is pointless.  I don’t understand demon hosts because I’m a hanyou, and I don’t understand YOU because I’ve never had your background.  The only thing I DO understand about you is your demon, and even if Trigon says he’s a pitiful weakling, I don’t trust him.  Or your friend, for that matter.”

                “My friend?”  Naruto blinked.

                “That white-eyed girl.”  Raven spoke over her shoulder, her hand on the door.  “Trigon might despise you, but he’s SCARED of her.  And Trigun hasn’t been scared of anything for as long as I can remember.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Fascinating.”  Neji observed.  “I have never seen another taijutsu fighter to match Lee like that.”

                “Martial arts… we call them… here,” panted Robin.  Despite the Hyuuga’s words of praise he could not help feeling chagrined.  Lee had been exhausted, handicapped, and predicatable, and stlll it had taken him forever to defeat the green chunin.  He had intended to battle Neji after, but he saw now that was out of the question.

                Lee, at least, did not seem dampened by his loss.  “Yosh, my youthful comrade!”  he cried, eyes filled with tears.  “Once again I find a worthy rival to pit myself against.  I must fight you thirty thousand more times, and then I must…”

                “Afraid that’s out of the question.”  Robin shook his head wearily.  “I don’t think I have the strength for thirty thousand more matches.”

                “Then at least tell me how to improve my fighting skills, so that I might learn from you, most worthy rival!”

                Robin cocked an eye at Neji, who simply shrugged.  “I must confess I’m puzzled by it myself.”

                “Very well,” shrugged Robin.  “You all rely far too strongly on a particular form of combat.  Lee moves quickly, but he only knows one martial… ah, taijutsu style, and that makes his moves more predictable.  Also, you telegraph your moves rather strongly… I’d say because you’re compensating for the momentum your weighted feet have.  Though I admire your devotion to train with them on, I think it might be more beneficial to take them off for fights so that you can move more nimbly.”

                Neji’s mouth twitched.  “That is not wholly probable.  Very well, what else?”

                “The style he uses is much too straightforward.  If I were you, I should add some variety to your talents by learning other kinds of… taijutsu.  Instead of making faster moves, focus on making more unpredictable ones.”

                “As you did, my youthful comrade?”  Lee’s face was intent on Robin’s every word.

                “I’ve been trained in nearly sixty-four different forms of unarmed combat.”  Robin nodded.  “It makes my attacks rather… unique.”

                Neji inclined his head.  “So I observed.”

                “You suffer from the same problem, by the way.  You only know one style of combat, and it’s a tight, rigidly controlled style.  You should think of new ways to implement your ability, so you can take opponents off-guard.”

                “Unfortunately, that is not very doable.”  Neji frowned.  “Jyuuken and straight taijutsu are about the only two different attack styles in Konoha.  Or, indeed, in the world, so far as I know.  There is Drunken Fist, of course, but that cannot be learnt.”

                Robin cocked an eyebrow.  “Seriously?  A whole world of fighters and you only have two styles of marti… taijutsu?”

                “Indeed yes.”  Lee nodded sadly, then suddenly brightened.  “But now that we are here in this world, Robin-san, perhaps you can teach us these other styles you know!  In that manner we can all improve ourselves!”

                “That would be… interesting.” Neji agreed.

                Robin considered this a moment.  While he did not especially look forward to the prospect of fighting Lee every day, it had been a while since he had a decent opponent in this area.  And it would definitely sharpen his reflexes.  Plus, the boy’s style was totally different from any of the martial arts he knew.  It would definitely be useful to study.

                After a moment, he nodded.  “Very well then.”

               

 

* * *

 

 

                “The guards tell me you have quite the provocative nature, Miss Tenten.”  Luthor smiled down on the glaring girl.  “Are the accommodations not to your liking?”

                ‘The accommodations’ were not terribly different from they had been at the beginning.  The girl lay, cuffed to the bed, tilted up to face Luthor.  A series of tubes and wires took care of all her bodily needs, but for mental stimulation she had little else besides blank white walls to stare at.  Even the machines she was hooked to were located behind her bed, where she could not see them.  The lack of stimulation was designed to either make her talk or drive her crazy.  Possibly both.

                At his first session with this girl, Luthor had tried the bed’s electro-shocking ability.  The lack of affect it had on the girl convinced him to try another tack, and so he’d left her alone for the next few days.  Looking at the records, he saw those had been a rather interesting few days.

                “I hear you’ve been quite abusive with my guards.  Several of them have even tried to shoot you for your behavior.”  Luthor consulted the clipboard in his hands, though perfectly aware of what it said.  “Five, it says.  In less than a week.  Quite impressive, Miss Tenten, my guards are very well-trained, it takes a good deal to provoke them.  I had to execute three of them for their unprofessional behavior.”  He leant forward, rubbing his chin with one hand.  “Now, whatever could have you so agitated?”

                Stone fury gazed back at him.  The girl kept her lips tightly clamped.

                “Shall I tell you what I think?”  He paused.  “I think you are interested in their weaponry.”

                For an instant, shock cracked the stone façade and her eyes widened slightly, but it was gone in another moment.

                This girl was SO amusing.  Quite the study in defiance.  “You’re a very weapons-oriented person, Miss Tenten.  When you arrived here, my assistants removed nearly fourteen different weapons concealed on your person.”   Luthor smiled at the sudden flame that filled the girl’s cheeks.  “In addition, we detected nearly seventy weapons in those… scrolls you were carrying.  As the scrolls are full of nothing of writing, we still don’t know how that’s possible, but I have the utmost faith in my sensors.”  He paused.  “I don’t suppose you’d care to tell us how you do that.”

Again, the girl said nothing, but there was just a hint of triumph about her.

“Ah well.  We’ll find it eventually.  For the time being, the point is that we know you to be a very weapons-oriented person.  And, given your behavior, I believe this fixation has carried over to your imprisonment.”  Luthor leaned a little closer to enjoy the slightly wary look growing on the girl’s face.  “I have video cameras in these cells, you realize.  I’ve observed nearly every ‘incident’ you provoked, and I find it rather interesting how, throughout each incident, your attention is always focused not on the guard, but rather the weapon he holds.”

The girl shook her head, just a touch too quickly.  Now he had her.  Nervous, questioning, beginning to lose faith in the image she was keeping up.  A touch of flattery, now, to delude her into thinking she was in control.

“You’re quite a resolute individual, Miss Tenten, and I imagine it would take quite a while to break you traditionally.  So I propose a deal.  You tell me certain things I wish to know, and in return, I allow you to play with the little toys you see the guards use each day.”

Even her stone face could not fully hide the eagerness flickering across her eyes.  Slowly, tentatively, her mouth parted.  “One question for one hour.”

“You can’t expect me to make much off of that.  Three questions for every hour, but you will have three different weapons to use.  Under controlled conditions, of course.”  With practiced ease Luthor kept the smile from his face.  Rotating the weapons would make it much harder for her to learn how to use them.  ‘Controlled conditions’ could be controlled enough to make whatever she DID learn negligible.  And, even then, the weapons they gave her could be… altered enough to make sure she never learned anything useful.

The girl’s eyes flickered back and forth as she thought, obviously warring between her inclination and obstinance.  Luthor waited, already sure of the answer.  All her answers would be lies, of course, but he would glean the truth from them.

“Okay.  Deal.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Hinata didn’t really like fighting.  It wasn’t that she was bad at it—indeed, by ordinary standards she was quite capable—it was that she often couldn’t see the point.  Especially on missions, where often the point was the fulfillment of some arbitrary contract filed by an unseen client.  Whenever Hinata fought, it was more for her teammates than the mission.  It meant that she would probably never be a good ninja, but it was the only thing that could really motivate her.  Almost instinctively, she moved to defend more than attack.

                In that sense, Hinata loved the type of work they did in Jump City.   The missions had clearly defined reasons behind them, and most revolved around protecting the populace.  The only downside was that she was utterly useless at it.

                Not… Hinata’s normal kind of useless.  Not useless in the sense that she could never work up the willpower or courage, useless in the sense that she had no actually helpful abilities.  Sure, the Byakugan was useful for locating and pursuing criminals, but beyond that—without visible chakra pathways, Hinata coulb not target the usual weak points.  She didn’t have Neji’s talent for locating organs, even if that was still a viable option.

                Hence, Hinata’s role, in most patrols, was crowd control.  Usually, the Titans didn’t have such a role, and the ninjas DEFINITELY didn’t.  However, it did make the job of the fighters much easier, as they didn’t have to worry about harming the civilians and were able to completely focus on the villain.

                And in a fight with someone like Mumbo the Magnificient, focus was key.

                “And now my amazing assistant will escape from the box of knives!”  The green-faced man giggled.  “Or perhaps he won’t.  Makes no difference to me.”

                Said box burst apart and Sai leapt at the madman.

                “Allaa Kazamm!”  Mumbo’s wand suddenly grew to twice its length and knocked the Root nin back.  “Now for my disappearing act!”  With  a great leap, Mumbo started bounding away. 

                “Pursue, friend ninjas!”  Starfire shouted, eyes blazing.  “The Mumbo must not be allowed to escape!”

                “Pursuit already in progress,” nodded Shino, leaping ahead of the pack.  Shino’s vendetta against this particular criminal worried Hinata, she thought that perhaps Mumbo’s “flea circus” transformation of Shino’s kikai bugs had somewhat… irked the normally logical Aburame. 

                Fortunately, Sai seemed to be more than up to the task.  “Occupying flank position.”  He nodded, moving over to the side.  “Bearing of target?”

                “Due west, five kilometers an hour.”  Hinata answered.

                Ninjas moved quickly.  Tamaranians flew.  Mumbo’s attempted getaway was a lost cause from the beginning, really.  They caught up with him somewhere in a run-down residential area and quickly circled him.  Mumbo, however, showed no signs of giving up. 

“Abracadabra!”  A piano materialized from thin air and plummeted toward Shino, who merely leapt aside with a huff of annoyance.  Two streams of bugs shot out from his sleeves at the magician, who merely flicked his fingers, turning them into confetti.  However, the distraction allowed Sai to run up behind the intruder, even as  Starfire flew up into the air to unleash a barrage.

That, however, was their business.  Hinata’s was crowd control.  There were a lot of people in this area, all of them were in danger, and Hinata was nearly panicking with the task of protecting them all.  She barely managed to shatter the piano before it hit the crowd of people on the sidewalk, and the spray of deflected kunai as Sai launched his attack nearly speared (or at least badly injured) three bystanders.

“Apologies, but you must stop, green man!”  A stream of green energy shot down from the air, apparently missing the magician as it smashed into the building just behind him. 

Hinata’s eyes widened.  _The rubble… ohnoohnoohnoohno…_   The ground flew under her feet as she dove for a small black girl directly in its path.  _Please let me get there, please let me get there…_

She didn’t get there in time.  Fortunately, an old man did, nearly a second before her.  He had been running for cover from the kunai, saw Starfire’s blast, and leapt at the girl.  Though considerably closer than Hinata, he was also considerably slower, and merely an inch away from danger, he tripped and fell, right into the path of another boulder.  He and the girl looked up, their eyes widened…

“ _Hai_!”  Hinata screamed, leaping over them.  Bursting into a premature version of the Celestial Spin, she blew the rock away and into the air, nearly missing Mumbo, who faltered in his next spell and took a direct hit from Starfire.

Hinata sighed with relief as the madman tumbled earthward, his spells dissolving.  Turning to the man and girl, she did her best to smile as she asked:  “Are you alright?”

The little girl just whimpered, staring up at her with frightened eyes, but the elderly man seemed to be much more cognizant of matters.  “Ah… yes.  Yes we are.”  He answered, straightening his glasses and brushing bits of concrete from his sweater.  “My leg hurts, but there’s nothing new about that.  Thank you, young lady.”

“Let me take a look at your leg,” offered Hinata, bending over the man.

“Don’t bother.  Honestly.”  A strange light came into his eyes as he looked at her.  “Tell me, young lady, “ asked he suddenly, “is your name Hyuuga Hinata?”

“ _What?_ ” cried Hinata.  Jump City residents were getting used to the ninjas, but few recognized them on sight, and NONE had recognized her, the crowd-control specialist.  Still, she managed to get ahold of herself.  “I mean… yes, I am.  How… Why do you ask?”

“Amazing.”  The man murmured, seemingly to himself.  “I don’t know how he does it.  Or rather, I do, I suppose, but…” he shook his head with a whimsical smile.  “Young lady, I have a message for you.  I was sent here to give it to you.”

“Message?” blinked Hinata, sparing a glimpse to her teammates.  “What message?  From whom?”

The man offered her an understanding smile.  “Oh, come now.  You must know that.  Or at least, have an idea.”

Hinata did have an idea.  A very unsettling idea.

“My friend says there’s a lot you still need to know to prepare for what’s coming.”  An annoyed expression crossed the man’s face for a moment.  “I wish he’d be a bit more clear with his messages sometimes.  I don’t even know what that means.”  Again he shook his head.  “Anyway.  He said that he’d like to talk with you someplace outside the Tower, in the city.”

“Where?”  Hinata half-whispered.

A shrug came in reply.  “He didn’t say.  I’m afraid he’s horribly remiss in finding convenient spots to talk to people.  Say…”  The man frowned in thought a moment.  “Ah.  The very place.  Tell you what, go to the Noodle Nexus at 11am next week.  That should be good.  I’ll let him know about it, and you can meet each other there.”  He offered a grandfatherly smile.  “Sound good?  And please child, don’t worry.  He’s not nearly as scary as he seems.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Drunk found wandering along M-45… false trail.”  Question mused, exiting the police station.  “Drunk obviously not Uchiha.  Where then?”  He shook his head.  “Next incident.”  He reminded himself, picking a notebook from his trenchcoat.  “Armored car robbery, I-89.  Case investigated by a Detective Beckett of Jump City police, division 43.  Report filed in police Archives.”  Nodding, he moved toward the blue sedan parked at the side of the road.

                “What exactly are we doing again?” asked Huntress as Question slid into the driver’s seat.

                “Hunting a fugitive.”  Question replied, starting the car.

                “Well this hunt stinks.  We’re not finding anything.”

                “We’re scouting the territory.  Searching for trails the fugitive might have left.”  Edging the car out into the road, Question continued, “Fugitive is of a naturally violent nature and unfamiliar with world.  Would undoubtedly attract attention on escape from Jump City.  Therefore, necessary to investigate disturbances recorded upon day of fugitive’s assumed flight from Jump City.”

                “Hmph.”    Huntress pouted, staring out the window.  “When you said we were going on a road trip, I had something a little less boring in mind.”

                “Most hunts are boring, in the initial phases.  A successful hunter must sometimes stalk his prey for many miles, must sometimes sit in one spot for many hours waiting for his prey to come to him.”

                “Question, my name is HUNTRESS.”

“Actually, your name is Helena…”

“Okay, the callsign is Huntress, whatever.  I KNOW about hunting.  I know it’s boring.  Road trips, though, are not.”  She glowered at him.  “At least they’re not supposed to be.  They’re supposed to be spent jumping from random motel to motel, living with no thought for tomorrow, driving past  beautiful scenery… that kind of thing.”

“And don’t you enjoy the beautiful scenery of the ghettos?”  A touch of amusement entered the faceless man’s voice.

“Q…”

“We’ll jump to a random motel fairly soon.  I’m afraid I’m out of practice with living with no thought for tomorrow.  In the meantime, why don’t you sit back and enjoy the eccentric charm of my presence?”

Huntress rolled her eyes and leaned back in the seat.  “You do realize you’re lucky to have me along, right?  I don’t do League business.”

“This isn’t League business.”

A half-hour later, they pulled up outside a rather formidable-looking station.  “Wait here,” said Q, opening his door.

Snorting, Huntress kicked her own door open.  “As if.  I’ve been warming the car seat all night.  YOU stay here, I’ll get this pretty file of yours.”

“Suit yourself.”  Question shrugged, handing her a notecard.  “Here’s the number.  It should be in the archives on the third floor, west wing.”

Taking the card with a nod, Huntress fired a cable up to the roof and shot away.  Question watched her for a moment, then reached over to the radio and clicked it on.  Pop music floated through the car as he reclined his seat back and waited.  Occasionally he checked his watch.

Fifteen minutes later, muffled shouts issued from the windows, and the crack of pistols filled the air.  Question popped his chair back up and started the engine, arching an eyebrow at the building as he did so.  A few moments later, Huntress crashed from a second-floor window, landing heavily on the street and dashing over to the car.  Bullets whizzed through the air and popped against the pavement as police officers crowded the windows.  Question set the car in drive, picking up speed as he headed towards her.  Scarcely stopping, she grabbed hold of the car’s door and swept inside, shouting, “Go!”

Question quietly complied, foot slamming down on the gas.  A few shells clattered against the rear window, but they were soon left behind.  A screech of tires whipped them into an inconspicuous alley, and moments later they were quietly watching flashing lights race by on the main streets.

“You’re getting better at stealth.”  Question commented.  “It took them much longer to notice you.”

Huntress rewarded him with a glare.  “Shut it.  If it weren’t for you and your stupid ‘don’t kill the police officers’ rule, I’d be in and out of there in no time.”

“Have you got the file?” 

“Here.”  Handing over a bulky folder, Huntress let out a little huff of frustration.  “Now can we jump into a random motel?”

“I think the police will be shadowing the random motels for a while.  We’ll be better off spending the night in the car.”  Question completely missed the devious look that spread across his girlfriend’s face.  “Here we are,” he commented, picking out a sheaf of papers.  “Hmmm…. Not promising… Rockets used to blow open truck, guards killed with bullets… not exactly ninja tactics.  Thugs found dead at scene—a gang war of some kind?  No, too great a coincidence for two mobs to attack truck at same point.  A betrayal then?  But how…”  Question’s faceless brow wrinkled in sudden concentration.  “Hullo…”

“What?”  Huntress knew that look.  She had a rising suspicion they might not even be spending the night in the car.

Question confirmed her suspicion by throwing the car into drive and pulling out into road.  Tossing the folder at her, he commented.  “All incapacitated thugs found with either burn marks or…” he paused significantly, “…sword wounds.”

“I take it that’s our fugitive then,” sighed Huntress.  “Fine.  So where are we off to now?”

“To the nearest likely shelter.  Highway I-89 is the shortest route between Jump City and one other major city.”

 

* * *

 

               

                _Once more_.  Sasuke replayed the image in his head, watching the terrified thug as he hoisted the gun, lined it up, fired it.  Carefully he repeated the action, hoisting the gun, trying to line it with the target as he had seen the man do, and squeezed the trigger.

                By this point he had gotten used to the kickback of the weapon.  He’d also somewhat adjusted to the tendency of the weapon to fire in bursts.  He’d yet to fully master the art of aiming the projectiles, but as he watched the can on the far side of the warehouse dance about, he felt he was getting close enough.  However, perhaps he ought to do it once more.  Again he hoisted, lined up the sight, and clicked the trigger.

                Nothing happened.

                Sasuke frowned.  He glanced down the barrel of the gun and clicked the trigger again.  Nothing.

                A quick replay through the fight in his head showed him the problem.  As he watched, a number of the guns being used suddenly stopped firing, and the thugs swiftly clicked new capsules into place.  Frowning, he tried to remove the capsule as he saw them do.

                A swift inspection confirmed his theory.  So.  The weapon was out of ammo.  Rather inconvenient, but not debilitating.  He would find another tomorrow, he’d already noticed a great many people in the area carrying similar devices.  Hopefully the protocols were not very different, as he simply did not have the time to invest in a whole new training experience.

                Sasuke’s jutsu training was coming along nicely, but far too slow.  He still had no conception of how a Sharingan could be used to teleport things.  He felt it might have something to do with the Susanoo ability, but that technique was far too exhausting to try repeatedly.  Besides, Kakashi had only one eye, he would not have been able to perform the Susanoo.

                No matter.  He felt fairly secure in his hideaway now.  Tomorrow he would go and fetch more food, along with a new weapon, but he had no fears of being discovered.  This ‘Gotham City’ appeared to be a place that swallowed secrets.


	13. Revelations

 

 

                At 10:30 am, Hinata crept out of her room.  Fortunately enough of the tower had been renovated for each of the girls to have their private apartment, so no one noticed her departure, nor her uneasy way of slinking through the halls on her way to the exit.  Not that there were many to notice her, most of the others were already busy or out on patrol.    Technically, Hinata was supposed to be on patrol now too, but Robin had granted her time off and sent Chouji in her place.  He hadn’t been too happy with it though… with Ino nearly incapable of serving, Naruto and Sakura insisting on separate patrols, and Lee nearly killing himself with training each day, Hinata’s day off had been a little hard to fit in.  She’d done three extra patrols in order to get this one off.

It was worth it though.  She had to go to the restaurant, she HAD to find out what was going on with her… what was going on with Ino.  True, she did not know whether her problem was connected with Ino’s, nor whether the strange man could explain them, nor even whether the old man’s friend was the same strange man she had met earlier.  But she had to do something.

                The man had been the breaking point.  Yesterday, she’d been up on the roof with Sakura, staring off into the ocean, trying to decide whether or not to go to the meeting.  And then, suddenly, a man had floated into her vision.  A pale, white man, dressed in what seemed like some kind of bizarre red circus outfit.  When she’d gasped and started upright, Sakura had glanced at her and asked what was wrong.  But the man had stared straight at her, as if astonished, and slowly he had faded away again.

                That had decided her.  No matter the consequences, she needed to figure out what was going on with her.   And, if possible, what was going on with Ino.

                She knew it had to be her fault.  She’d done that… that thing with Ino, she’d touched her and made her understand the language.  That had to be the reason why Ino was shut up in her room with all the lights off.  Somehow, she must have done something else to Ino that had made her so jumpy and nervous.

                So for herself and for Ino, she had to go out to meet this man in the restaurant, in the hopes he might be able to help.  And, preferably, she had to do it without any of her friends noticing.  She didn’t know WHAT this man would think if she brought any friends along.  Nor what her friends would think, for that matter. 

Fortunately, after nearly a lifetime of being invisible, Hinata was more than capable of slinking through the Tower down to the ground floor.  She paused before the garage, but then passed on.  Those ‘car’ things were still somewhat beyond her.  A few minutes good running should get her there in no time.  All she had to do was go out the door and…

“Hinata?”

Of all the times she’d hoped to attract Naruto’s attention, why did he have to pick _now,_ when she’d hoped _not_ to?

Trembling uncontrollably, Hinata turned to face the grinning blonde.  “G-g-good m-m-morning N-Naruto-kun.”

“Not morning for much longer,” chuckled Naruto, walking up to her.  “Have you seen Kiba or any of the others?  I thought I might do some sparring or something.”  His eyes lit up suddenly.  “Hey, unless you…”

“I’m… I’m afraid I’m just going out to lunch, Naruto-kun.”  Hinata gave a little bow, her insides twisting.  Of all the times for him to make that offer!  Now he’d think she was avoiding him.

“Lunch?  Where?”  Naruto cocked an eyebrow in interest.

“Um… a place… called the, ah… Noodle Nexus, I think.”  Belatedly Hinata realized she had no idea where the restaurant was.

Naruto’s face lit up.  “Seriously?  That place is AWESOME!  They’ve got like sixty different kinds of ramen there, it’s like… oh man, it’s not as good as Ichiraku’s, but still!”  He closed his eyes in ecstasy.  “Oh, boy.  I still haven’t tried their chocolate ramen.”  His eyes popped open again, bright and eager.  “Hey!  Is it okay if I tag along?”

Hinata blinked.  Several times.  Her face flamed up.  The blood was throbbing in her eardrums, she could feel heat burning from her skin.  All her former thoughts—Ino, the strange man, the things she’d seen—went flying away in a heartbeat.  “B-but Na-Na-Na-Naruto-kun…”

“Please?”  His face took on a puppy-dog like expression.  “I’ll pay for my own food!  I’ll pay for yours, even!  Please?”

 _Don’tfaintDon’tfaintDon’tfaintDon’tfaintDon’tfaaaaaainnnnnt…._   “O-o-o-o-of c-c-c-course you may accompany me, Naruto-kun, if you wish it.”

With a whoop, Naruto leapt into the air and pumped his fist.  “Awesome!  Ramen, here we come!”

 

* * *

 

               

“She saw you?”  Superman frowned.  “Are you sure?”

                “Hey, I’m a flippin’ ghost,” snapped Green Arrow.  Or rather, not Green Arrow, but Deadman, a ghost currently inhabiting Arrow’s body.  “I know the difference between looking at someone and looking through them.  Besides, she gasped and jumped up and everything—that’s pretty much standard reaction when you see a ghost.”

                “Perhaps she has some kind of psychic ability to perceive the identities of remaining energies and their respective consciousnesses,” suggested Mr. Terrific.

                Arrow’s eyebrow quirked at the man.  “What’s all this now?  Psychic identities and whatza?”

                “He doesn’t think you’re a ghost.”  Superman pressed his fingers to his head.

                “No, I don’t believe ghosts exist.  ‘Deadman’ just happens to be one of the phenomena regularly mistaken for ghosts.”

                “Oh really?”  Deadman’s voice took on a somewhat more annoyed tone.  “Well, that’s good to know.  What am I then?”

                Mr. Terrific didn’t even blink.  “Most likely residual psychic energies strongly connected with the identity of their former owner.  Perhaps released in the intense trauma forced upon by death, trauma which also caused the energies to form a self-delusionary perception of themselves as a single entity…”

                “Oh, forget it.”  Deadman—or rather, Green Arrow—turned back to Superman.  “I guess it took me a while to get used to the idea too.  Anyway, yeah, I’m pretty sure she saw me.  Not sure how… I mean, she didn’t seem like a medium or anything magical…”

                “Perhaps this chakra of theirs has something to do with it?  Otherwise, I believe that girl also has some special seeing ability…”

                “Uh-uh.  None of the others could see me, not even the other weird kid with white eyes.  I think the creepy grey girl knew I was there, but she just ignored me.”

                Superman glanced to Mr. Terrific, who shrugged.  “Blue Devil did say there was something odd about her.  Perhaps this is a manifestation of it.”

                “Seems to be.”  Superman nodded.  “You’re sure you don’t know anything more?”

                “Nope.”  Deadman shook Arrow’s head.   “Except I can’t body-jack her like what I’m doing to this guy now.  I’ve done it to some of the others—outside the tower, of course, the creepy grey girl’s got that shielded with sigils and other stuff—but I just bounce right off her.  I don’t think she even notices.  Same thing with the blonde kid, though that felt a bit more painful.”  Arrow’s body shivered at the memory.  “Anyway.  But aside from that, no.  Nothin.”

                “Hm.  And you’re sure you haven’t noticed anything strange about the energy around her?”

                It may have been Superman’s imagination, but it seemed that Deadman hesitated ever so slightly.  “Ah… Na.  Nah.  Never seen it before.”

                “Okay.”  Superman turned away from the ghost-possessed Arrow.  “You can let Arrow go now.  Let us know if you find anything further.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Isn’t this place great, Hinata?” asked Naruto, mouth full of ramen.

                “Umm… yes, Naruto-kun.  Yes it is.” 

                “How can you tell?  You haven’t even touched your ramen!”

                “Oh!”  Hinata gave a little jump.  “Oh, yes.”  She started to pick at her bowl of noodles.  Between a lunch with her crush and a meeting with the mysterious otherworldly benefactor, she really didn’t have much of an appetite.

                “See?  Isn’t this place awesome?”

                “Oh yes… yes, definitely.”  Hinata cast a nervous glance at the clock.  They had probably another ten minutes before she could expect her visitor.  She needed to get Naruto to leave before then, but… but… surely a few more  moments couldn’t hurt?  “Yes, it’s very nice Naruto-kun.”

                “Glad you like it,” nodded Naruto, slurping up a long and floppy noodle.  “Actually, I was kinda thinking of asking you down here anyway, so this works out really well.”

                “What?”  Hinata whipped around to stare at him.

                “Well…”  Strangely embarrassed, Naruto turned away to look out the window, scratching the back of his head.  “I wanted… I mean, I never really got the chance to talk to you about… well, y’know.”  He glanced back and tried a half-hearted smile.  “The whole thing with Pain.”

                “Oh.”  Hinata immediately looked down, away.  “W-w-we don’t h-h-have to.  I mean, if y-y-you don’t f-feel comfortable…”

                “No, no.  I want to… I mean, we need to talk about it.  It’s just…”  Naruto sighed.  “Okay, first off.  Jumping out there, in front of Pain, trying to take him down?  That was probably the stupidest thing in the world to do.”

                Still staring at the floor, Hinata gave a short, feeble nod.  “Yes.  I know.”

                “There was absolutely no way in the world you ever stood a chance there.  I mean, you tried to take on a guy who leveled the entire village.  It was probably the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.”  He paused a moment, then continued, “It was also one of the most incredibly awesome things I’ve ever seen.”

                Hinata’s head jerked back up.  “B-but N-na-naruto-kun…”

                “Hinata, you faced off against a _god_.  Or at least a wannabe god.  And you even put up a fight against him, if not a very long one.  That’s some serious level of awesome.”  Grinning, Naruto gave a little shrug.  “Besides, when it comes to doing stupid things, I’m not exactly one to talk.”

                Hinata hiccupped out a laugh. 

“But it was still stupid.  Really stupid.  Promise me you’ll never do anything as stupid as that again.”  Naruto’s face had returned to its serious expression. 

“O-okay.”  Hinata nodded.  She could refuse him nothing, much less something like this.

“Good,” sighed Naruto, leaning back.  “That’s… all I wanted to talk about, I guess.”

 _All?_ some distant part of Hinata’s mind wailed.  But she kept her mouth shut and tried to let her relief overwhelm her disappointment.  At least it was over with now. At least…

“Did you mean what you said back there, by the way?”  Naruto was looking at her again.  “About… you know, me showing you the way, and… all that?”

Overcome with embarrassment, Hinata could barely nod her head.  “Y-yes.”

Naruto looked away, out the window.  He drummed his fingers restlessly on the table, bit his lip, then finally said: “That’s… not really such a great idea.”

Hinata frowned.  “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m a stupid guy, that’s what I mean,” grunted Naruto.  “I mean, my way basically is… throw yourself at a problem and hope it gives before you do.  I tough it out because I can, but it’s not really the best way, or even really a good way.”

“But it is…”  Hinata shrank a little as Naruto shifted around to stare at her, but she kept on regardless.  “It’s… you keep trying, Naruto.  You always keep trying, no matter how many times you fail.  It’s…  That’s what I mean.  I always… I always give up, sometimes even before I try.”  Voice now little more than a whisper, she stared at the floor.  “But you… you keep trying.  And that’s how you always win.”

She looked up to see Naruto shaking his head.  “But not without a lot of pain.  I mean, that’s cool for me and all.  Healing factor, y’know.  But for someone else… Shikamaru can think his way out of a steel prison and not get anybody hurt.  Shino can always figure out what’s going on, and usually think of some kind of strategy to work with it.  Even Neji can usually… do SOMETHING.”  He shrugged.  “The point is, my way’s painful.  And slow.”

“But it works, Naruto.”

“For me, yeah.  But for someone like you… there are lots of better ways to follow, Hinata.  You should really…”

“I don’t want to!”  Hinata suddenly snapped.  “And those other ways aren’t better, they’re just… different ways!  Of doing yours!  Shikamaru never used to take planning seriously until you motivated him to keep trying!  Neji always thought there was a cage limiting his growth until he met you!  Shino…”  Hinata paused in her rant, “Shino’s always been Shino, really—but even he realized how important it was to try for things!  None of them would be anything without you!”

“But Hinata…”

“It’s… you need to start realizing how important you are to people, Naruto.”  Eyes nearly brimming, Hinata looked away.  “You inspire… everybody  to keep trying harder.  Because that’s why… that’s why you’re always getting stronger.  Because you never give up.”

There was a long silence.  Hinata didn’t dare to look at Naruto, she just sat there, eyes squeezed shut, heedless of the liquid seeping from her eyelids.  The only sound in the restaurant was the ticking of the clock.

“Not very observant, is he?”

                Hinata recoiled with a start at the sudden voice.  Sitting just across from her was the strange red-haired man in the green trenchcoat, his eyes fixed on an unconscious Naruto. 

 

* * *

 

 

                Striding from the practice room, Robin called back, “We’ll do some more Sambo tomorrow.  In the meantime, keep practicing those forms I showed you.”

                “Yosh, Robin-sensei!”

                Training Lee was surprisingly easy once Robin hit on the idea of only allowing him to use the new moves during their spars.  Although he was as fast as ever, Lee had understandable difficulty in using the new forms, and that gave Robin a decided edge.  And once Lee had mastered the forms (usually after a few days of solid training) he was exhausted enough for Robin to at least keep up with.  Still.  He tended to win most of their bouts.

                But Robin was getting better too.  His already-primed reflexes had nearly doubled in speed, and he had gained a much closer working knowledge of Lee’s style.  There were definite elements of Wing Chun in it, though it seemed to have evolved in a much different manner.  Most noticeable was its reliance on footwork.  Apparently the ninjas wanted the hands free as much as possible, presumably to perform their ‘seals’ with.

                Neji, though, Robin didn’t quite know how to handle.  He didn’t know many martial arts that depended only on touch points, and he wasn’t familiar enough with the Hyuuga’s power to develop any.  Neji’s style was understandably hand-based—apparently that was how they shot the chakra at the internal organs—but that made it a little predictable.  And also, he imagined, kept the Hyuuga from using jutsus as the other ninjas did.  Perhaps chakra could also be directed through the feet?  He’d have to talk to Neji about that.

                For the moment, though, he had more pressing matters, namely, Neji’s cousin.  The girl had been strangely insistent on getting time off on this particular day, at this particular time, and had offered no explanation why.  Obviously, she had a meeting or event of some kind to attend, but none of the other ninjas had objected to being offered the same time slot, so they were not meeting with her.  But if she was not meeting with someone in the tower, who WAS she meeting with?

The ploy was so obvious, Robin had almost suspected a counter-ploy, but the frail Hyuuga did not seem like the type.  Unless, of course, THAT was also a ploy, but Robin doubted it.  In any case, she apparently hadn’t noticed the device he’d planted on her headband this morning, because the blinking dot on the control room screen was still there, and it was nowhere near the tower. 

“Switch to video feed.”  Robin ordered as he entered the room.

“ _Affirmative_ ,” replied the computer.

The screen went entirely dark and remained so.  “ _Unavailable_ ,” explained the computer, with a hint of apology.

Robin frowned.  “Audio?”

“ _Unavailable_.”

“Hm.”  Perhaps the Hyuuga girl had figured it out after all.  “Assess tracker condition.”

“ _Tracker: Operational and in working order.”_

“Signal strength?”

“ _Signal strength within prime parameters.  Two-second delay between tracker recording and update on screen.”_

“Audio and Video elements of tracker?”

“ _Operational but unresponsive_.”

Curious.  Few people would have the know-how to do that to one of Robin’s trackers, and certainly none of the ninjas would.  An accident, then?  Unlikely.  In any case, there was one way to tell for sure.  “Play back tracker video feed two minutes prior to last recorded available data feed.”

“ _Affirmative_.”  The screen filled with an image of a very familiar diner, with a very familiar blonde sitting at it. 

Robin frowned in surprise.  She was meeting with Naruto?  But Naruto had been willing to patrol at this time, so how… of course.  His doppelganger ability.  Robin should have thought of that.  Why all the secrecy though?  Just a shy girl’s desire to keep her affairs private?  Possible, he supposed.  But why would Naruto hide it?  Because of Sakura, perhaps?  He still hadn’t figured out THAT whole mess.

The video suddenly blacked out and Robin shook himself into alertness.  “Replay last five seconds.”

“ _Affirmative.”_   The screen showed an apparently neck-level view of the diner window and the street beyond.  A few people passed by and then… blackness.  No static, no sudden movement, just… blackness.

“Hm.”  Very puzzling.  By all appearances, the girl had done nothing to the device, certainly it was in the same place it had been, but yet it could give him no information.  How odd.

Perhaps listening to their conversation would give him a better idea.  Robin clicked a few keys on the computer and settled back to listen.  As Naruto’s comments about ramen filled his ears, he continued thinking on one thing.

 _What could have caused this_?

 

* * *

 

 

Hinata stared.  There he was.  The man from the park.  The man she’d seen standing on the water.  The man, she felt certain, who’d done… whatever-it-was that had been done to her.  And he was simply sitting across from her as if it was the most natural thing in the world, hands folded on the table, head tilted quizzically at the slumbering form of her crush.

“An interesting person,” commented the man distantly.  “Not the greatest thinker, or the greatest fighter, his main virtue is simply that he doesn’t know when to quit.”  He arched an eyebrow.  “The boy thrives on struggle, he can never be satisfied except with dissatisfaction.  Fortunately, that is all he is ever likely to find in this life.”

                “Y-y-y-y-you… y-y-you…”  Hinata stammered.  “H-ha-have you been following me?”

                “Yours is the soul that guides me.”  The man turned his stare to her.  “I must.”

                “Wha--what did you do to him?”  She pointed at Naruto.

                “Nothing harmful.  He shall awaken after we have finished.”

                “Finished what?”

                “Talking.”  His eyes burned into her.  “The knowledge that you need is not yet yours.”

                “And… you can give it to me?”

                “Naturally.”  The man gave a measured nod.  “It was for that purpose that I arranged this meeting.”

                “Th-th-th-the old man…”

                Another nod.  “Norman is one of my few intermediaries… friends, I should say.  I did not think it wise to confront you in front of your peers, as they would find your position difficult to understand.”  He made a slightly apologetic gesture.  “I could, of course, have appeared to you in a vision, but that might have alerted the half-demon, and in any case Norman tells me visions are disturbing.  Therefore, I deemed a face-to-face talk the most effective medium for the information I have to impart.”

                “Ah.”  Hinata managed.  A few moments later, she finally got out, “Who… who are you?”

                “I am the Light of…” the man stopped and seemed to collect himself.  “Forgive me.  Norman is always telling me I must try to be more personable in my interactions with humans.  My NAME is James Corrigan, a former police detective.”

“And you… you are responsible for what is… happening to me?”

                “Indeed,” nodded the man.  “Upon your arrival into this world, I sensed your nature and sought you out.  While you were interred at this city’s hospital, I visited you in your sleep and touched you with the Eleventh Presence, granting unto you the powers that you now possess.”

                Deep in Hinata’s mind, the words touched a cord.  She’d felt a presence in her dream, just before waking in the hospital.  “Like the… the speech thing?”

                “Yes.  One of my simpler gifts, the Tongue of Fire.  All men, of any nation, world, or plane, can understand your words as you can understand them.  It was necessary you be given it, so you could establish trust between yourself and the reporter, and later between your teammates with the Justice League.”

                Hinata almost fainted from shock.  “You… you knew?  Back then?  That all this would happen?”

                “Some of it.”  The man inclined his head.  “I am not all-knowing, but I know certain elements of the future and what I must do to bring them about.  It is crucial, after all, that I fulfill my part in the Great Song.”

                _Song, gift, Tongue of Fire, Eleventh Presence_ …  Hinata’s mind was reeling.  She’d come seeking answers, and so far she’d found only more puzzles.  “Who are you?”  She whispered, staring in bewildered shock at the man.  “Who are you _really_?”

                The man’s eyes bored into her.  “You wish to know my true name then?  Very well.  I am Uriel, bearer of the Chalice and the Rod, who stands within the second bloom of the Rose of Light and sings the Third Strain.  I serve as the vengeance of God upon the guilty, and his hand of justice upon those that defy his name.  Upon this world, those that know me call me the Spectre.”

               

* * *

 

 

                “Angel?”  Shino glanced curiously at Cyborg.  “What is an angel?”  Patrol had been rather quiet today, and Cyborg had just made a passing comment about guardian angels.

                “You’re kidding, right?”  Cyborg threw him a disbelieving glance.

                “I’ve never heard of it before either,” piped Chouji from below. 

                “Guess not then.”  Cyborg sighed.  “Well, I don’t know.  It’s just an expression you use, man, when you get the feeling that someone’s watching over you.  Y’know, like when you’re running down the street toward some baddy, and the bullets are clattering all around you but somehow DON’T HIT you?  That’s when you say, ‘Man, I must have a guardian angel watching over me.’”

                “So like… an invisible personal bodyguard?”

“I guess.  It’s just an expression, dude.”

“Interesting.  Is ‘angel’ your word for bodyguard then?”

“No, I… look, do you guys seriously have no idea about the meaning?”

“I can find no logical counterpart in the dictionary implanted into my head.  The closest I can understand is that it is a minor spirit of some kind.”

“That’s… about right, I guess.  I dunno, I don’t really look into it much myself, but they’re like these big guys with wings and halos and harps and stuff.  They’re supposed to watch over the earth and the people on it and everything.  I guess… I don’t understand your guy’s mythology real well, but I suppose the closest thing I could say is that they’re like demons, only good.”

“Curious.  So they are infinite sources of chakra?  Why do they play harps?”

“No, they… look, dude, just forget it, okay?”  Cyborg sighed and returned to scanning the city skyline.  “Don’t even know why I brought it up anymore.”

 

* * *

 

 

                _Angel._   Hinata knew, immediately, what the term meant, and also understood how foreign a concept this was to her world.  And yet, in some strange way, she felt completely familiar with it, as if it were some strange concept she’d always known but never really thought about.  She never even considered disbelieving the man, his very presence convinced her of its truth.

                “As an angel, I am naturally bound to destiny.” continued the Spectre, apparently heedless of her shock, “Or rather, I am bound as all beings are, but have a clearer understanding of my role within it.  Most know me only as an angel of vengeance.”  Glancing across the street, he frowned suddenly at a young woman jogging along the sidewalk.  The girl immediately fell to the ground, clutching her heart.

                People crowded around the fallen figure outside the window as Hinata gaped in horror.  The Spectre continued to stare out the window dispassionately.  “Ramona Simmons.”  He responded, in answer to Hinata’s terrified glance.  “Aged twenty-three, lives on Ivy Street, works at Agility Physical Therapy center as a receptionist.  I gave her a simple stroke.  Quick, relatively painless.  I assure you, the young man she murdered three days ago had a MUCH more painful time dying.  I should, perhaps, have dealt with her sooner, but  then she would not have had the chance to inspire a young boy earlier today.”

                Turning from the window, Hinata closed her eyes and willed herself not to throw up or faint or cry or anything like that.  She needed to focus.

                “Where was I?” frowned Spectre.  “Ah yes.  Roles.  Mostly, I am known as the Angel of Vengeance.  And while this is true, I have other roles, one of which I am fulfilling now by meeting with you.  The course of the future is set, and I must make preparations for it.  The power I gave you was one such preparation.  Another is this meeting, arranged at this particular time and place.”

                Hinata found her voice.  “B-but the old man…”

                “Norman chose the place and time himself, yes,”  Spectre nodded.  “I did not know myself when the meeting was to be.  But he did so unwittingly in concert with how they were meant to be.  Destiny and Free Will are surprisingly close in some ways.  If he had not chosen this particular place, for instance, would this boy have accompanied you today?”  He gestured toward Naruto.

                Hinata hesitated.  “P-pro-probably n-not.  B-but why…”

                “And this time also doubtless has it’s significances.  At this moment in time, doubtless many other things are happening which, however unwittingly, are connected to what we here are doing and saying.  But then…”  The man shrugged his shoulders.  “…there is nothing new about that.  All events, while uniquely situated in space-time, have close interconnections with all others.”

                “Ah… I’m… s-sorry, I don’t… I’m not sure I quite understand.”

                “No.  I imagine not, it is a bit difficult to take in all at once.”  Spectre let out a hissing sigh.  “Very well.  Let us say, then, that it was important that we meet at this specific place, at this specific time, even if Norman did not intend it to be so when he chose it.  As proof…”  Spectre again gestured toward Naruto, “…we have this boy, who might otherwise not be here.”

                “B-but… why is it so i-important that Naruto-kun be here?”  Hinata ventured to ask.

                Spectre gave a little shrug.  “Several reasons.  He makes a useful example for much of what I have to say, he provides an excuse for your being here, and his presence allows me to explain why I sought you out.”  He looked straight at her.  “Because yours is a ministering spirit.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “What are you doing?”

                “Shh!”  The cat under the bush hissed back at her.  “Can’t you see I’m in disguise?  Do you want to give me away?”

                Raven rolled her eyes.  “If you’re disguised as a green _cat_ I don’t really see the need to worry.”

                After a moment of apparent thought, the cat shifted into a lizard.  “There.”  It squawked.  “NOW I’m in disguise.  Happy?”

                “You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”

                “It’s none of your business.”

                A snort.  “Ah.  Well, I remember how deeply you feel about meddling in other people’s affairs.”

                “Shut up.”  The lizard shot her an annoyed glance as he scampered  out from under the bush.  “Look, if you’re going to stay here and be annoying, you might as well help me see better.”

                “See wha…  AGH!  Hey!”  Raven gave a small backward hop as the lizard slithered up her leg.  In a few seconds she had the intrusive little reptile caught in a globe of dark energy.  “You’ve got five seconds to explain what that was about.”

                “Jeez, Raven, chill!”  The lizard writhed in the shadow’s grip.  “I was trying to get to your shoulder so I can see the street better!”

                “And why’s that so important?” asked Raven, lifting the reptile to her shoulder.  She was standing just outside the E-Z Mart across from Jump City High school, right beside a decorative little bush in a flower pot.  At the moment, the street was filling with cars prepared to take teenagers to lunch, but nothing particularly notable seemed to be happening.

                “It’s just… look, stop talking to me!”  The lizard hissed.  “Anybody who sees you talking to a lizard is going to think you’re crazy! And… oh shoot… I just realized you’re wearing your uniform.”

                “Noticed that, did you?”  Raven cocked a sarcastic eyebrow at him.  “Thought you might’ve picked up on it when you were climbing up my leg like that.”

                “Oh I didn’t… I mean, I wasn’t…  Look, just forget it.”  The lizard writhed in embarrassment.  “Can you just… be less obvious?  If they see you standing out here, I’ll be in sooooo much hot water.”

                “Who’s they?”

                “Look, just do it, can’t you?”

                Raven sighed.  “Fine,” said she, stepping back into the shadows of the alley and casting a spell to hide them.  “But you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

                “Shhh!”  The school bell rattled across the silence, releasing children into the air. Hundreds of teenagers emerged from the doors, some jogging, some walking, some parting from each other with longing eyes.  Most made their way toward the parked cars, though some did pick up bicycles from the racks or simply keep walking on the sidewalks.  The buzz and hum of their chattering voices filled the air.

                “I really don’t see what we’re doing here.”

                “Shhh!”

                Then Raven heard a little intake of breath from the lizard as three girls exited from the school.  The one was a freckled brunette, the other a rather prim-looking black girl, and the other…

                Raven blinked.  “Is that…”

                “Shhh!”

                Terra.  Terra the traitor.  Terra the former teammate who had turned on them and then died saving them.  Terra, who was supposed to be petrified in a statue beneath Jump City.  Terra, who was currently walking with two talkative teenage girls down towards the sidewalk.

                Raven said nothing as they made the group split up and made their way to different cars.  Instead, she waited until the cars drove out of sight before turning on Beast Boy.  “Okay.  Explain.”

                “What’s to explain?” grumbled Beast Boy, coming back into form.  "I sneak off sometimes to see Terra, okay?  I’m always as a different animal, they never see me, I’ve never tried to talk to her.  Happy?”

                “I meant, explain why Terra is HERE and not in her petrified state at the cavern.”

                “Oh, that.  I don’t really know, to be honest.”  Beast Boy shot a look down the road.  “I just ran into her last year, after we came back from defeating the Brotherhood.  Tried to talk to her, but she doesn’t remember anything of what happened.  Doesn’t have her powers, either.”

                “Anything?”  Raven cocked an eyebrow.

                “Anything.  Not Slade, not the Titans, not you… not me.”  Gar slumped a little.  “I spent a whole day trying to get her to remember, but at the end of it she just told me to go away.”

                Raven wasn’t sure how to respond to that.  Beast Boy’s feelings for Terra had never exactly been a secret, after all.  A part of her worried about whether Terra was faking the whole thing, but she knew better than to ask that.  She could only think of one idea.  “Have you told Robin?”

                “Yeah.  He looked into it and then told me I had to let go of it.  He’s pretty convinced she actually DOESN’T remember anything and thinks she’s better off that way.”  Beast Boy snorted a little.  “Even said she’s probably happier without her powers to set her apart.”

                “Is that… wrong?”  Raven felt inclined to agree.  Not only powers, but the memories of the old Terra wouldn’t be particularly pleasant ones to regain.

                “No, but…”  Beast  Boy sighed and cast another look down the street.  “It’s just… hard.  To let go of it, y’know?  I mean, I try not to go here, and when I do I just watch, but I can’t help but wonder sometimes.  Wonder what would happen if I just walked up to her, said hello, if it’d be different…”  He sighed again.  “It’s not easy.”

                Again Raven said nothing.  She really didn’t know how to deal with most people, let alone Gar.  Robin had been right, but simply telling Beast Boy that wouldn’t help at all.  It sounded dangerous for him to keep coming down here, especially if he kept feeling this urge to talk to her.

                The best thing to do right now was get Beast Boy away from here.  “Come on.”  She said, taking hold of his arm.  “Let’s catch lunch somewhere.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Your nature is that of a connector.  A medium, as some would say.  You are uncomfortable speaking or acting for yourself, because you would rather speak and act for others.   Fascinated by the lives of others, you do not consider your own life, your own struggles, worthy of consideration, because of everything you see around you.” 

                “Most especially, you find yourself drawn to those who have no voice, those whom no one will speak for.”  The green man gestured at the comatose Naruto.  “You empathize with their loneliness and feel a great desire to bring them into connection with others.  Were you not among the first to point out to your teacher Iruka about the extended training Naruto had been going through?”

                Hinata gave a small start.  “H-how did you… I-I didn’t… I mean, I just meant to…”

                “You felt sorrow for his loneliness and wished to let others know of his life and dilemma.”  The man gave a short nod.  “Even as you hid your own life and difficulties.”

                “Hyuuga don’t…. I mean, we’re not supposed to tell…”

                “But you have never tried, or even desired to do so.  Or, for that matter, done anything to draw attention to yourself.  You do not live for yourself, you live for others.  You show your true self only when you become invisible and project another.”  A smile ghosted around the edges of the man’s thin mouth.  “It is a truly unique gift of yours.”

                Hinata’s mouth flopped open and shut, like a frightened fish gulping at air.  This man had, in a few short seconds, summed up things about herself that SHE barely knew. 

                “You are not what most would call a spiritual medium.  Your tendencies as a connector are limited solely to the physical realm.”  Again a smile ghosted about his lips.  “Or at least, they were.  Nonetheless, your spirit rendered you the most open to the kinds of gifts I wished to bestow.  Your ancestors were priests, were they not?  Therefore upon your entrance into this world, I sought you out.”

                “And you… made me do… the talk thing?”

                “Yes.”

                “And I helped Ino with it?”

                “Yes.  A slightly more difficult gift, but equally necessary.”

                “Did that… do what’s happening to her now?”

 

* * *

 

 

                _what’s happening to her now_ … the thought was thankfully transient, far off.  She lost it and felt a blissful moment of being herself— _it’s better with Naruto and Hinata out of the tower_ —before other thoughts pushed to the fore.

                _The slow crawling sensations of beetles stepping tentatively across the face in the darkness… a great green blob waited at the end of a long red path, this was done for the kingdom… A new voice from the head showed the way, leant release to the burning within…  Yellowed teeth in a savage green face clawed and bit, fire beneath the skin and new thoughts without form… Bulge transformed to muscle and big bones, the children from the playground ran screaming… A cold dark cell and the endless drip drip of the hours twenty drips to the next killing…_

                The thoughts crowded in her head, flooded her mind. Memories, memories, so many memories that she could not keep them all out.  Some she recognized, others shocked her, she could latch onto none for long.

                The room was dark, yet she could see everything. _Flashing lights and the death smile on an eyeless father’s face and the cold steel of a cell where green fire exploded and_ —Ino squeezed her eyes shut and yet the images kept coming— _bright white of snow about a mountain temple where the monks learned to read with three eyes, the tiny quivering pinkness of what was to be the war partner, a strange ink painting of a sad moon forest where the moons reflected off the cherry blossoms…_

                And then it was gone, and for a moment Ino could be herself again.  Slowly she came to herself, a pale, emaciated girl in bed, her quivers slowly diminishing.  Grasping on the interval, she seized the food and drink next to her bed and began to ravenously devour it, unsure when the thoughts might begin flowing again.

                She felt a great ache, a throbbing against her skull as though her brain were ready to burst apart and would shatter the frail shell of bone that kept it together.  It was getting lesser already… yes, it was going.  Her mind was smaller now, she could feel nothing beyond this room.

                It was strangely easier with Hinata and Naruto out of the picture.  Why that was, she didn’t know… she had felt even Chouji and Shino that time, and she knew they were out on patrol, far beyond where she’d last felt Naruto and Hinata.  But those too had disappeared, and she no longer had the images of snarling foxes and glaring white eyes to deal with.

                Ino pressed her hands to her watering eyes and shuddered away the darkness.  This couldn’t last.  She knew this couldn’t last, she had to DO something before she exploded.  No matter if the proximity would worsen it, she had to talk to somebody NOW, while she still could.  Quickly she got up from bed and made her way toward the door.

                _Lying on a metal table as a pair of pale glass eyes floated through the darkness…_

                Ino tumbled to her knees.  “NO!”  She screamed.  “Not now!  I need to TALK to them!  I need to… WAIT!”

                _Ripping loneliness tore at the soul as a blonde girl walked off into the dark hallway…  A sudden outburst of wounded pride as the whiskered face mouthed more words…_

                “NO!  Just a bit longer!  I can’t take it!”

                _Red hair and burning eyes disappeared into the bloody sand as the bones came ripping out.  Death stared from a cold mask and unforgiving steel.  Searing pain as the ink burned into the skull and fastened to the brain.  Screaming the man and woman fell from the cotton-candy trapeze to the bloodied ground of laughing faces…_

 

* * *

 

 

                _Screaming the man and woman fell from the cotton-candy trapeze to the bloodied ground of laughing faces…_

                Neji suddenly stood stock-still in his training and put a hand to his head. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

                _Searing pain as the ink burned into the skull and fastened onto the brain…_

                Robin reeled back into reality, blinking at the screen before him. 

 

* * *

 

 

                Somewhere in China, an elderly shopkeeper paused and glanced sharply toward the west.

                “Dear?”  His wife eyed him quizzically.  “Is something wrong?”

 

* * *

 

 

                “I am not responsible for your friend Ino’s condition, nor are you.”  The man assured her.  “You have nothing to fear on that score.”

                “Then what’s… happening to her?”  Hinata demanded desperately.  “She’s not well, she stays in her room all day, and when I bring in her lunch, she just cringes away like it hurts to look at me!”

                “She is not ill, though assuredly she is not well.  But her new difficulties were not brought on by you, they were the unintended gift of another. “

                “B-but…”  Hinata gazed at the man piteously.  “Can’t you help her?”

                The man arched an eyebrow.  “That depends what you mean by ‘help.’  If you mean, remove the source of her trouble, then yes, I could do that.  But it would mean the loss of a great deal else.  Removing her difficulties would mean eliminating the source of a valuable power, negating the chance of a desirable tutorship, rendering later assimilation difficult.  It may even mean a much more costly affect on the future, causing more deaths than necessary.”

                Hinata slumped back.  “But… but… she’s hurting!  I know she is!”

                “Indeed.  At this rate, she will slowly go insane.”

                “Then why don’t you help her?”

                “As I just explained to you, I AM helping her—by not helping her.  The path that she must follow is for the moment painful, but it is also ultimately the least painful path to take.   Fear not.”  A thin smile that was evidently meant to be reassuring graced the man’s lips.  “As in everything, ’all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be made well.’”

                Hinata glanced aside to hide her disappointment.  “If… if you s-say so.  I guess.”

                “I did not say so.  Julian of Norwich said so.  And that was back in the 1300’s.”  Again the man made a thin smile.  “Fear not for your friend.  Already events are set in motion for her recovery, and she shall emerge from this trial stronger than ever before.  Indeed, this trial shall benefit you all—ninjas and heroes alike.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “This food is most wonderful strange, fellow non-earthling!  What do you call this marvelous pellet that you have here?”

                “Soldier pills.”  Sakura grunted, eying one of her new concoctions.  “They’re not food, though, Star.  They’re supposed to be used in emergencies only.  What do you call this food here?”

                “Oh!  This is the hamburger, which friend Cyborg so enjoys!  I thought it would be to your liking, so I prepared a few for you and your friend!”  Happily the Tamaranian dropped the platters onto the table.  “I offer my sorrows that I am unable to perform the grill as well as friend Cyborg, but I have done the best I can with my own energy bolt powers.”

                Sakura eyed the blackened meat dubiously, hoping that the glowing bits of green in the meat were her imagination.

                “I am so glad that you are able to join me for my mid-day repast.”  Starfire beamed.  “Ordinarily, Robin would accompany me, but alas, he is occupied.  And though I am sorrowful that you cannot spar with friend Naruto as you desired, friend Lee, I hope that you will enjoy this meal!  And you also, friend Sakura!”

                Sakura tried to rouse appropriate words of gratitude but her honesty forbid her.  Fortunately, Lee was there to provide the thanks she could not offer.  “Yosh!  Many thanks, friend Starfire!  This most youthful dish seems to be both nutritious and enlivening!”  Crunching a patty between his jaws, he barely suppressed a wince.  “And delicious!”

                “Oh!”  Starfire’s eyes lit up.  “Then I shall make you ten more, friend Lee!”

                “Many thanks, Starfire-san!”  Lee gave a valiant thumbs-up, continuing his attack on the hamburger.  “This meal is most certainly strengthening to the jaws and challenging to the teeth!  I shall eat all ten of your next burgers, and if I cannot do that, I shall…”

                “Lee.”  Sakura sighed.  “Let it go.”

                Something in the way she said it made Lee take a closer look at her.  “You are not… feeling well, Sakura-san?”

                “No.  I mean yes.”  Sakura rubbed a free hand over her face.  “It’s just… things haven’t been working out lately.”

                “Friend Sakura is troubled?”  Starfire flew up to the table and eyed the pink-haired girl compassionately.  “You must tell us what the cause is, friend Sakura!  Are you also troubled about friend Ino?”

                Lee bit his lip and considered a moment.  “Perhaps you and Naruto…”

                “No,” replied Sakura, barely suppressing a groan.  Just what she needed.  A reminder of two other things she really didn’t want to think about right now.  “No, nothing  like that.  I mean, that too, but…”  Sighing, she rolled the pellets across the table toward them.  “It’s these things.”

                “The pills of soldier?  But friend Sakura, they are most delicious!”

                “And they fortify the body with all the needful nutrients!”

                “That’s not the POINT.”  Sakura offered her two friends a wry grin.  “They’re supposed to renew the body’s chakra.  The nutrients stuff helps, but delicious…”  She stopped suddenly and stared at Starfire.  “You seriously think these things are tasty?”

                “Of course, friend Sakura!”  Starfire’s head bobbed up and down.  “They taste much like the Chugogon Beetles of Workthal!”

                Deciding not to pursue that thought, Sakura returned her attention to the table.  “Anyway, the point is that that’s not what they’re doing.  I exhausted all my chakra today in training exercises, and then I took one and…” she sighed.  “I still don’t have any chakra.  My nutrients are back up, my brain is alert, everything else is fine, but chakra… nothing. Or at least, very little.”

                “That is indeed most curious, friend Sakura.”  Starfire floated over and palmed one of the pills. 

                “Perhaps you have not added the proper ingredients?”  Lee ventured, also picking up one of the pellets.

                Sakura shook her head.  “I followed the same recipe I always do.  Same herbs, same mixture, same concentration, same preparation.  I practically have that recipe memorized by now.”  Frowning in concentration, she added, “I’m working on a new recipe… maybe that will have more effect.”

                “I have the utmost confidence in your ability, Sakura-san.”  Lee gave an earnest nod.  “And in the meantime, I shall train without chakra, to…”  he paused as he realized that he already did that.  “I shall train harder.”  He resolved.

                “You do that, Lee.”  Sakura offered the chunin a wan smile.

                Starfire frowned.  “I do not know what I can do to help, but I shall speak to friend Robin and see if he has any advice.”  A new idea lit up her face.  “And I shall cook you meals and deliver them to your room so you may concentrate!”

                Leaning onto the table, Sakura just managed to bite back a groan.

 

* * *

 

 

“Now.  To return to our purpose, I believe you wish to know about your powers.”

                “N-not really.”

                The man seemed intrigued.  “I’m sorry?”

                “I d-don’t r-really care about what… p-POWERS you gave me.  I just really came here to see if you could help Ino.”

                “Ah.  Again, you are a connector.  You find your purpose in others.  Most excellent.  But are you sure that was the only reason?”

                Hinata struggled a moment.  “I g-guess… I was kind of curious.”

                “Of course you were.”  The man leaned back.  “You should understand, angelic power is not like some sharply delineated set of abilities granted to you for whenever you desire.  Angelic power is simply power, given with conditions but not formulas.  I suppose a good example would be your chakra, which is not strictly limited to any one technique, but can be used for many different purposes.  But even chakra is simply a portion of true spiritual power.”

                Hinata glanced at him, eyes wide.

                “Indeed.”  He nodded.  “You begin to understand, do you not?  The “spiritual energy” of is a fragmented echo, a faded section of true spiritual power.  The Kyuubi’s chakra is perhaps closer, yet even it is fragmented and distorted.  You have noticed, have you not, that the chakra of the Kyuubi is distinct from those of others?”

                Hinata slowly nodded.  “Y-yes.  It’s… orange.  But that’s because it’s not normal chakra.”

                “Indeed not.  Its origin is utterly different than your own.  But…”  the man tilted his head in resignation, “…that is a discussion for another time.  For now, it is enough to understand that the power I gave you is capable of things far beyond that of chakra.”  His look somehow grew even more intense.  “You should understand also, though, that it cannot always be used, as chakra can.  You may use your new abilities only if I wish it, and should you trespass the Nazirite Precepts, I may take it away entirely.  At times I may even take control to act through you.”

                “L-like…” Hinata hesitated.  “l-like a host?  For an angel?”

                “Nothing so crude,” snorted Spectre.  “I may only take control if you allow me to, and you may cut it off at any point.  However, you shall have little consciousness of your own actions and shall be mostly as a spectator in the event.”

                “O-okay… I guess.”  Hinata glanced down at her fingers and toyed with the end of her napkin.  “S-so… what can I do… just by myself?”

                “The Tongue of Fire is itself a very useful gift.  Do not misjudge it.  It will enable you to tell always exactly what a person intends to say and whether they are telling the truth.  It will also allow you to make yourself perfectly understood, though you may find it difficult to lie.”  A quiver touched the corners of Spectre’s mouth.  “You can use your words to soothe the fearful, to enliven the weary, to heal the broken-hearted.  The power of the Second Presence, which you also command, will do much the same through your surroundings—you can calm the troubled merely by being beside them.”

                “Outside of that, much of the power will form naturally.  Already you have become more alert, more attentive.  The doings of the higher plain are now open to you, you can behold the workings of the ghosts and demons.  Your reaction time is faster, you have greater endurance.  Your power DOES grant you abilities beyond that of normal chakra, which you shall learn as you need them.”

                “What… what kind of abilities?”

                Spectre shrugged.  “The same as any angel’s, though you do not have the power to perform all the functions.  You could, for instance, rip a soul from a body and send it into the eternal fire, but the exertion would probably kill you.  What else will follow, I cannot say.”  Spectre stood from the table.  “Suffice it to know that your powers will be greatest in the area of your greatest talent—that of a connector.”

                “Now.”  He gestured out the window.  “You have visitors.”

                Hinata glanced to the side.  To her left, she saw the man from the roof, looking very startled.  To her right, she saw Raven and Beast Boy heading toward the restaurant.

 

* * *

 

 

                Beast Boy drew back suddenly as Raven reared back and started screaming.  “Father!”  She screamed.  “Father, what are you doing to me?  I cannot hear the…  Oh my father, be silent!”

                “Raven?”  Beast Boy stooped over her as she crumpled to the ground.  “Raven, you okay?  Hey, stay with me Raven!”

                “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb…”  Raven murmured deliriously, her eyes gazing at the pavement.  “…Fear the Lord and give glory unto him for the hour of his judgment is at hand…”

                “Raven!”  Beast Boy’s hand flew to his communicator.  “Robin, we got trouble!”

                Static was his only response.

 

* * *

 

 

                “I’m not sure it’s a real problem just yet.”  Robin shrugged at the monitor.  “Mostly I just called to see if it was from the League.”

                Terrific shook his head from the monitor. “J’onn’s off in meditation, he’s not supposed to be sending anything out.  And none of our other telepaths have reported anything.”  He tapped his chin.  “Maybe there’s a new meta forming in your area.  Have you checked for any industrial accidents in the nearby area?  Or unlicensed experimental research?”

                “If it was unlicensed, I’d hardly know about it, would I?”

                “True.”  Terrific frowned.  “Still, you might want to follow up on that.  You sure it was somebody’s memory you saw?”

                Robin nodded.  “It was one the ninjas… Neji.  I saw the memory of them burning the symbol into his forehead.  Just got off the intercom with him, he said he got a flash of what sounds like something from my memories.”

                “Odd.  Maybe he’s the telepath.  Or you are.  Has Bats been trying out anything with you?”

                “No.”  Robin shook his head.  “And Neji has no idea what happened either.”

                With a shrug of his shoulders, Terrific replied, “I’ll take it up with J’onn next time I see him.  Anything else?”

                “Just one.”  Robin frowned.  “One of the ninjas seems to be very sick, she just collapsed in her room.  I’m going upstairs to check on her now—it’s probably nothing serious—but just so the League knows.”

                “Very good.  I’ll bring Superman up to speed—and Batman, if he calls.”

                A snort exploded from Robin.  “Don’t bother.  Batman probably has this call taped.  Robin out.”  He clicked the screen off and moved toward the door.  Though he hadn’t mentioned as much to Mr. Terrific, he rather suspected a link between Ino’s collapse and his strange ‘memory flash.’  It was rather fortunate he’d been in the control room when the incident occurred—he might never have connected it with Ino’s condition otherwise.

                Of course, there might BE no connection, and the two events might just be random coincidence.  But just in case… Robin moved toward the elevator.

 

* * *

 

 

                Hinata’s hand flew to her mouth as she watched the Titan collapse to the pavement.  Almost without thinking, she leapt from the booth, completely missing Naruto’s “Huh?  Hinata?”  She didn’t know where Spectre had disappeared to, but right now it didn’t matter.  Out the door she ran, straight over to the pale girl and her green companion.  “What’s the matter with her?”  She panted.

                “Hinata?”  Beast Boy blinked up at her, uncomprehending.  “What’re you…”

                “WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HER!?”

                “I… I don’t know!”  Beast Boy glanced back down at the quivering girl.  “We were just going to get lunch and all of a sudden she falls over and starts reciting all this mumbo jumbo stuff…”

                “Guys?  What’s going on here?”  Naruto jogged up, his face a study in confusion.

                “Naruto?  You’re here too?

                Hinata ignored both the boys, and instead leant forward toward Raven.  _With it you may use your words to soothe the fearful…_ she heard a whisper in the back of her mind, and even as she opened her mouth to speak she felt power flood into her mind.

                “Raven.”

                A pale face jerked up to meet hers, eyes wide.  “…the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth…”

                “Raven, we’re here.  We’re with you.  You’re alright.”

                “But if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies…”  Raven’s face twitched slightly, her words were slowing.  “And any who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

                “Do not fear, I am with you, do not be dismayed.”  The words flowed into her mind, they almost spoke themselves.  “I will strengthen you and help you, and uphold you by my hand.”

                “I… I…”  Raven’s breathing began to come normally, her eyes became more weary than frightened.  “I have seen the wrath of the coming of the…”

                “Shhh.”  Hinata whispered, drawing the frightened girl into a hug.  “You have nothing to fear.  Fear will be removed from you, terror will not come near you.”

                Raven hid her face in Hinata’s jacket. 

                “Whoah.”  Beast Boy gazed in shock at the two girls.  “How’d you… what just…”  he glanced to Naruto.  “What the heck just happened?”

                Naruto scratched his head.  “Umm… I don’t… really know… what did you just do, Hinata?”

                “Nothing important,” replied Hinata, slowly moving Raven’s head away from her.  “Here.  Are you doing alright now?”

                “I… I… yes.”  Raven drew away from the Hyuuga.  “Yes, I’m… I’m fine.  Thank you.”  Quickly she stood up and smoothed her robes, obviously discomfited.  “I’m sorry, I just… Trigon was… I’ve never felt him act like that before.  It won’t happen again.”

                The others did not look so sure.  “We’d better get back to the Tower.”  Beast Boy suggested, moving a step closer to her.  “Robin will be wondering what we all are doing.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Robin glanced about him momentarily as he entered the dark hallway.  Though the security systems had long been recalibrated and brought up to specs, nothing was impassable, and the telepathic flash he’d had made him wary of a possible attack.  Psychics always left him nervous, there was really no way to deal with them, outside of the mind tricks Bruce had taught him.

                Quickly he strode toward the blank door that marked Ino’s room.  Ino had specially requested a room in a nearly-deserted portion of the Tower, an arrangement all had thought curious, especially given her apparent illness.  It’d been hard to deny her anything, though, when her suffering stood so clearly in her face.  Cyborg had added a few extra security measures in this hallway, as a means to keep her safe while separated from the others, but they’d let her had her privacy.  Sai came up three times a day to bring her meals, and Sakura at least once to do a medical diagnosis, but other than that none of the Titans came up here much.

                Outside the door, he paused and rapped on the metal with his knuckles.  “Ino?  This is Robin.  May I come in?”

                He gave her a few moments to reply.  She might be unconscious, after…

                “AAAAAGHGAHHHHH!”

                The scream pierced the door, it exploded into the hallway and rebounded off the dark gleaming metal walls.  Robin leapt back, poised to fend off an attack, but all that met him was the blank metal door, cold and gleaming.

                “No, NO!”  The voice screamed, and Robin was only distantly able to recognize it as Ino’s.  “They’re back, they’re back, I can feel them… I feel their… AGH!”

                _Glowing orange fur of the circus of the white-eyed clowns and round and round the cobbler’s bench the villagers chased the Kyuubi that the host thought was all in the fun of the trapeze with the pop-pop-pop of the bone-crunching candy-corn of eyes that met the teeth in the cacophony of raised green lanterns…_

                Robin stumbled, his mind reeling.  That had been no memory.  That had been… well, he didn’t know what it was, but it had confirmed his theory.  He needed to contact the League, immediately.  Quickly he turned down the hallway…

                _The monkey-king’s bubble pipe of the lost city of the Green Gorillas where the shadows came to fly over the boiling darkness…_

                Robin’s foot tripped, he fell to the floor, it came rushing to him…

                _Strong like day and kind like night the party against the darkness of a blood red city where the streets are paved with time and the hungry ghost brings the life to teeth of wandering toad acrobats…_

                He was crawling now, he could see the elevator before him, it was floundering in a haze of clouds and colors, animals…

                _Tinker tailor soldier sparrow the clock ticked over the stone faces that overlooked the moon within the swallowing belly of the great black fire where the eight birds flew and the…_

                Robin was gone.

 


	14. Hallucination

_…can’t move  can’t move can’t move hard floor cold like the glass of eyes that float into the circus about the sisters of football players  the room is dark and the floor cold cold cold against the people approaching up the shaft of the monkey staff for the snake and the robin redbreast have you any wool stopstopstop sorry sorry so sorrrry I didn’t mean oh felt so good bubble of mind open two more coming NO must not must not let them come hold out and scream help help for the orange eyes in the green face that opened up the basement and here they come…_

* * *

 

                “Here he is.”  Cyborg jogged up to the prone form on the ground.  “Thought he was in the control room, went to ask him about the power panels and saw him on the screen.  First thing I did was to contact everyone and put the Tower on alert.”

                Starfire was already by Robin’s side.  “Who could have defeated friend Robin in such a manner?  He has no wounds or markings of any kind!”

                “No signs of a battle in the hallway either.”  Cyborg glanced up and down the hallway.  “From the looks of things he was making for the elevator… he got anything on his neck?  A bruise, puncture wound, anything?”

                “Nothing.”  Starfire turned Robin over to show him.

                “Hm.”  Cyborg fingered his faceplate nervously.  “This isn’t good.  Robin’s no pushover, and certainly not one to be taken by surprise.  All this being in the tower just makes it worse.”  Apparently coming to a decision, he tapped a few keys on the his wristpad.  “I’m putting this hallway on complete lockdown.  Robots, laser guns, everything on full alert.  Nobody enters unless I say.  In the meantime we oughta regroup, so I’m calling everybody back to the tower, including that nighttime patrol we just sent out.”  He closed the pad with a nod of satisfaction.  “Then we’ll get working on what’s going on here.  Star, can you help me get Robin to the medical bay?  We’ll have that Sakura working on him as soon as we can.”

                “I shall take him to the medical bay with the post of haste, friend Cyborg!”  Nodding anxiously, Starfire easily lifted Robin and flew him to the elevator.  Cyborg remained a few moments later, clicking some buttons on the wall, before joining her in the elevator.  Once inside, he opened his keypad and pressed one final button.

                A slab of thick armor plating slid in front of the elevator with a clang.

                Slowly the elevator began to descend.  “That should cut it off from the rest of the building.”  Cyborg explained.   “If whatever attacked Robin is still there, it won’t be able to get in or out.”

                Starfire blinked at him as they exited  the elevator.  “But what about friend Ino?”

                “Who?”

                “Friend Ino.  She has a room up there.”

                “Oh yeah.”  Cyborg frowned.  “Shoot.  I’d better lock her room off too until we figure out where this guy is.  You take Robin down yourself, I’d better get to the control room.”

                “Gladly, friend Cyborg!”  Starfire flew off down the hallway and over the stairs, whipping in a door cheerily labeled ‘Medical Ward.’  Gently, she lowered herself to the ground and laid Robin down on a clean white bed.  “Rest please, Robin.”  She whispered.  “I will go seek friend Sakura.”

                As she turned to go, Robin’s hand shot out and snatched hold of her arm.  “W-wait.”  Robin’s eyes were wide open, he was trembling all over, and his words gritted through clenched teeth.  “St-star… you have… you have to…”

                “What is it, Robin?”  Starfire bent over him anxiously.  She’d never seen Robin like this before.

                A shudder shook all through Robin and his grip on her tightened.  “You have to… contact League… the Manhunter… he must…”  Another shudder shook through him, his back arching slightly and his eyes tightly clenched.  “You need…  get everyone out of here, Star…”  His eyes took on new purpose at the thought.  “Get… get them away from her… all the thoughts… all at once…”  His eyes began to get glazed.  “Get away… get away… It’s not… It’s not…”

                “It’s not what, Robin?”  In her anxiety to hear better, Star leaned over Robin’s trembling form.  She pressed a hand to his hot forehead.

                _Burning and the burning burning burning burning of the children in the shadows of the caverns where the howling doom patrol ran around the mulberry bush…_

                Starfire gasped, she recoiled a little…

                _Another mind oh so good so sorry sorry_ _The gargoyle of the cotton-candy crocodiles fought the stick figures off with a beetle while the creeping deer cavorted amidst the blacksmith’s fan gorillas fed the cherry blossoms to the howling dogs of the and the stone faces stared down in all their righteous indignation…_

                The images swirled into her head, the thoughts, the sensations flooded her consciousness.  They blocked out the room, the ward,Robin, everything.  Everything was becoming lost in the great swirl of memories.

                _And the turning turning turning all my soul within me burning puppies of the great white-eyed cat-o-nine tails that lay lashing against the laughing children of the playground and their big-boned ribbing sorry sorry but oh so good the bubble pops the sun rose over the land of the churning ink that shaped line on paper release good release relieves couldn’t hold it in and brought the kunai spinning through flesh and candy sticks…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “Robin sent us that moments before he disappeared.”  Terrific clicked off the screen and turned to the others—Green Lantern and Superman, who stood directly behind him.  “He mentioned something about a psychic flash, but none of our documented psychics are near that area.”

                “So you believe it’s a new psychic.”  Green Lantern frowned in thought.

                “Robin’s description of the episode sounded more like an accidental connection than a malevolent attack,” shrugged Terrific.  “The psychic MIGHT not be very adept at attacking, or they might not be attacking at all.”

                Superman nodded.  “Seems likely enough.  Any suspicions?”

                “The white-eyed girl.  She seems to have certain propensity toward psychic energies, and her companions have testified that she’s suddenly obtained some new abilities.  It seems that if the telepathic attack came from an outsider, it would have been noticed by the delusional psychic energy we contacted.”

                “The what?”  Green Lantern wrinkled his nose in confusion.

                “Deadman, the ghost who helped us with the Gorilla City matter.”  Superman explained.  “We have him observing the Titans.”

                “Of course, perhaps I should not rely on that so much.”  Terrific considered.  “A delusional entity has, by nature, a skewed interpretation of events.  Simply thinking that it is a ghost colors its observations and makes them biased at best.”

“What’s your problem with ghosts, anyway?” asked Superman suddenly, turning on Mr. Terrific. 

                “Can’t have a problem with something that doesn’t exist.  My problem is with people who believe in ghosts.  And demons, angels, and gods.  But at the moment… ghosts.”

                “Terrific, we spoke with one just this afternoon.”

                “No, we were just talking with something that claimed to be one.  Rather different.”

                “Well, okay, why don’t we believe him?”

                “It.  As an entity, it possesses no real orientation, merely a perceived residual pattern from its former occupant.  And we don’t believe it because ghosts don’t exist.  A ghost implies a soul, which implies an afterlife.  Which doesn’t exist.”

                Green Lantern let out a sudden snort.  “After all, it’s not like any of us has ever been to Hades or something.”

                Mr. Terrific sighed.  “You visited a region that a group of isolated zealots considered to be a resting place for the damned.  In that region, you—or rather, Wonder Woman—encountered extra-dimensional beings and magically retained consciousnesses, but no actual souls of anyone dead that you knew.  You merely supposed it to be some kind of afterlife.”

                “And you don’t think it was.”

                “No.  Superman, Darkseid is supposed to be a god on his homeworld.  So are Highfather and Orion.  Yet we know them to simply be extremely powerful aliens enhanced by advanced technology.  The extra-dimensional being Ichthultu, whom you and Hawkgirl defeated, was worshipped as a god by both the Thanagarians and some of the Atlanteans.  What makes you think that the gods, demons, and ghosts WE know aren’t simply variations on this idea—ultra powerful entities that we simply do not fully understand?”

                Green Lantern shrugged.  “Is this really all that important?  I don’t quite see that there’s a difference.”

                “Of course there is.”  Superman threw an annoyed glance at his friend.

                “Agreed.”  Terrific nodded.  “A true god should be above the laws of the universe, otherwise he is simply another creature of the universe—mortal, limited, fallible.”

                “But if he DIDN’T operate according to the rules of the universe…”  Superman raised an eyebrow at the scientist, “…we never would be able to understand him anyway.”

                Mr. Terrific rolled his eyes.  “Supes, just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s magical, or even spiritual.  None of us are even close to understanding how J’onn’s powers work, but nobody assumes he’s a god.”

                “Because he has obvious limitations.”

                “So do ghosts.  But we label them as supernatural, and J’onn as superhuman.  An important distinction.  The only real difference is that we know J’onn’s origin.  Since we know he came from Mars, we assume that instead of being a god, he must be an alien.”  Terrific snorted.  “One wonders how much of a distinction that is.”

                “This is fun and all, but we’re kinda missing the point.”  Green Lantern cut in, annoyed.  “Much as I love to hear you guys discuss metaphysics, we’ve got a group of teenagers in Jump City with an incapacitated leader and a possible psychic attacker.  Now what are we going to do about it?”

                Superman sighed.  “Right.  Well, the Titans still aren’t accepting help from us, so we’d better just sit back and monitor the situation.  Inform Batman about his ward—assuming he doesn’t already know—and see if you can get J’onn out of the meditation chamber to ask him about this telepath thing.”

                “J’onn’s not  in the meditation chamber.”  Green Lantern informed him.

                “He’s not?”

                “He left to go ‘home’ the day you appointed him to do research.”  Green Lantern shrugged.  “For all I know, he could be on Mars by now.”

 

* * *

 

 

                _Another mind another mind release sweet release the Kraken think as myself sorry so sorry I had to I’ll stop soon but OH the memories flooding like a wave of synaptic fluid through the tropic of candy-corn now more memories can’t stop them the sisters of the bats fly across the green sky edged in mahogany clocks with the ticking ticking happy glorthag need to find outlet outlet outlet ACDC  nightwing nitewing need to find outlet another mind another…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “A lockdown?”  Sai frowned as he made his way down the stairs.  “For what reason?  Our last patrol was revealed nothing out there.”

                “Yeah, but there’s something in here.”  Cyborg’s voice sounded from his earpiece.

                “Ah, an infiltrator.”  Sai’s eyes narrowed.  “I see.” 

“Yeah, and that’s a big problem.  Hinata’s on the roof, ready to receive the patrol team, I just need you to watch the door and check people in.  Once we’ve got everybody in, we can lock the place down completely and get to work on finding them.”

“Very well.”  Sai nodded.  “I shall mount guard here, then.  Have you asked Hinata or Neji to scan the building with their Byakugan?  Otherwise, once Naruto returns he can probably also use his Sage Mode to find the intruder.”

The silence from the other side of the line was rather telling.  Finally, there came: “Riiight.  That’s a good idea, I’ll get right on that.”

“Naruto may not be so helpful,” warned Sai, suppressing a smirk.  “His ability is more centered around chakra signatures, which the intruder may not have.”

“I guess not.”  Cyborg’s voice sounded a little more irritated now.  “Still, we’ll try it.  Maybe one of your dimensional friends has popped up.  Cyborg out.” 

The speaker clicked out and Sai withdrew his hand from his ear with a sigh.  Momentarily he considered the possibility that this was a trap of some kind—bringing all the ninjas back to a base about to be locked up—but he discarded the notion.  The story sounded plausible enough, and Cyborg certainly didn’t seem to have an elaborate cover story thought out.  Besides, any decent tactician (which Robin certainly was, even if Cyborg was not), would know better than to bring all the ninjas together BEFORE destroying them.  It would be far better to hunt them down one by one.

Sai shook his head.  So many different levels of intrigue to consider.  An assumed infiltrator.  A possible trap.  An extremely likely genjutsu.  If the infiltrator existed, it might be an outsider or a disgruntled ninja.  Sakura was the only possible option.  If the infiltrator did not exist, it was almost certainly a trap of some kind.  Shino would know, though… he had planted bugs on all the Titans and would have their positions monitored.  And Neji, of course, would be doing his occasional scans.  Naruto could perhaps be taken by surprise, but Sai doubted that it would be enough of an advantage.

And finally, what was the purpose of the genjutsu in proposing such a dilemma to begin with?  To make him trust outsiders?  Or, conversely, to make him distrust his teammates abilities?  Perhaps give him an outside danger to focus on so he would not notice the genjutsu?

So many levels.  So many levels.

Something caught the corner of his eye and he whipped around, sword at the ready.  “Show yourself.”  He demanded calmly, his left hand fingering a kunai.

A small green dog trotted out from the bush and glanced up at him quizzically.

Sai relaxed his sword arm.  “You received the message too, I see.”  The dog gave a humorously grave nod.  “Very well.  Cyborg is in the control room, you should go see him.  I must stay and guard the door.”  As the dog trotted past him, Sai touched his earpiece and spoke, “Beast Boy is in the Tower.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Cyborg’s voice still sounded a little irritated.  “Thanks for the report.”

With a shrug, Sai clicked the radio off and resumed his study of the skyline.  He still had many other levels to consider.

 

* * *

 

 

_…hold back hold back not another hear the tolling of the bells it tolls for thee like the garlic beneath the ox-cart of the T-car and the old drunken circus master of the killing circle vengeance must be had a mind a dog on bottom level can’t touch too slippery but Sai NO stay back stay back don’t touch the glass case the bubbles bubbles floating in their rainbow fragility every mind a bubble find a bubble fragile bubble watch them pop and flow their synaptic fluid into the great melting pot…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “No, she’s never acted like that before.”  Beast Boy assured Sakura, bending over Raven’s bed anxiously.  “It was really bizarre, she just keeled over and started shouting…”

                “Look, I said I’m fine,” fumed Raven, trying to glare at Beast Boy and Sakura at the same time.

                Sakura simply glared back.  “Falling over in the street and lapsing into hallucinatory delirious episodes is NOT fine.  At the very least, you need to take some rest.  I would also prescribe lots of fluids.”

                “I’ve been resting in my room for the last five days.  And my fluids are FINE.”  Raven insisted.  “If anything, I should move about more.”

                “That’s true.”   For a moment Sakura considered her options.  “Very well.  Daily exercise, preferably under controlled conditions.  I’ll talk to Robin about maybe relaxing your patrols…”

                “I’m FINE.”

                “Who’s the doctor here?  You’ll relax.  And drink fluids.”  Something beeped in Sakura’s earpiece and she sighed. “Yes, Cyborg, I’m going.  Gar, make sure she stays there.”  She disappeared out the door.

                Raven turned a dangerous eye onto Beast Boy.  “If you’re thinking you’re keeping me ANYwhere…”

                “She said it, not me!” whined Beast Boy, backing away frantically.  “I just called her in for a check up, I had NO idea, I swear!”

                Raven snorted but said nothing.  The brief silence was broken, predictably, by Beast Boy.  “So… if you’re really okay… what was with the whole… hallucination desultory thing?”

                “I told you already.”  Raven threw him an irritable glance.  “My father went nuts.  He was screaming, raging, just… nothing like I’ve ever felt.”

                Beast Boy frowned.  “I didn’t know you had that good a connection with your father.”

                “Historically, I didn’t.”  Raven shrugged.  “But things changed after I banished him.”

                “You mean during that whole end-of-the-world deal?” 

                Raven gave a short nod.  “Banishing just means I removed him elsewhere.  He’s not dead, just expelled.  He won’t be back—not anytime soon, anyway—and it’s harder for him to dominate me.  But I can hear his voice a lot clearer than I used to.”

                “Really?”  Beast Boy cocked his head.  “What’s he saying right now?”

                “That you’re a hormone-obsessed moron who needs to leave my room.”  Raven glared.  “Also…”

                _…the laughing horned faces burned from the cavern of blued steel where the green beetles crawled over the pop-eyes of destiny and the one in the middle had a railroad track…_

                Beast Boy stumbled backwards.  “Jeez, Raven when I asked what he was saying, I meant TELL me!  When did you learn to do that?”

                “That wasn’t me.”  Raven was glancing around with a strange look on her face.  “And it wasn’t Trigon.  I think…”

                _…the little engine went chug chug down the pineapple milk and the shadows curved about the bright red and green of the officer’s pistol where the cells were as big as trees and the lizards went skittering across the skull-laden landscape of the…_

Vaguely Beast Boy realized he was on the floor, his green skin rapidly shifting from one form to the other.  He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t… “Raaaay—veeeeh—nnnrgh?”

                _…once upon a midnight dreary hickory dickory the gorilla ran up the baseball bat with the flying monkeys and the eyes came floating toward the darkness repairs are not complete poor wayfaring stranger in a strange land the touch of lips and the flow of knowledge too many thoughts…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “Way too much going on, if you ask me,” grumbled Naruto as the four ninjas raced across the rooftops.  The glowing lights of Jump City flashed beneath them as they shot toward the island and the tower.  “First patrol they send us out without one of their Titan people along, and after five minutes they call us back.  What the heck?”

                Neji shrugged.  “Perhaps it had something to do with that fire hydrant you smashed.”

                “Dude, compared to some of the stuff that normally goes down at these things, that’s nothing.”  Naruto snorted, throwing a disgusted look  over his shoulder.  “I bet it wasn’t even reported.”

                Another shrug.  “It might be, if Robin was keeping an abnormally close eye on us.  Understandable, seeing as it would be our first solo patrol.”

                A snort of annoyance came from Kiba below.  “Not by half.  I really wish they’d stop with the babysitting.  I mean, for crying out loud, we’re chunins!  Capable ninjas!  They’re no better at fighting than we are, heck, on a lot of things, we’re a good deal better!”

                “Fighting is not the issue.”  Neji insisted.  “Familiarity is.”

                “Yeah.”  That was Chouji.  “Most of the civilians are only getting used to us, a lot of them still mistake us for supervillians.  And we’re still out of most of the things here ourselves… I mean, that fight last week with the Johnny Rancid guy…”

                “Hey, don’t try blaming us for that.  You were the one who launched the fireball at his motorcycle.”

                “Well would _you_ have known that would make it blow up like that?”

                Kiba considered a moment.  “I… might have.”

                “No, you would not.  None of us would have guessed it.”  Neji gave a sniff that just barely escaped being a snort.  “That is Chouji’s point.  We are still ignorant of many of the rules and dangers of this world.  That is why we began work with these Titans and that is why we still work with them.  Because, for the moment, they have information we need.”

                Annoyance mollified a little, Naruto gave a shamefaced shrug.  “I’m just wishing that they’d stop treating us like kids, that’s all.”  They were now skimming across the water, vast plumes shooting up behind them.  “Sometimes I get the feeling that Robin kid thinks I’m an idiot or something.”

                Kiba gave a loud snort but said nothing.

                “You forget that, in this world, we are children.  Idiotic, untested children.”  Neji reminded them.  They were now shooting up the tower’s smooth glass face.  “And as such, we need all the help we can get.”

                “Yeah, but… Hey Hinata!”

                The group dropped before a rather nervous Hyuuga, who fumbled nervously with her fingers.  “Y-you didn’t have to run up h-here, you know.  Y-you could h-have just gone in the d-door by Sai.”

                “Oh right.”  Naruto frowned.  “Got a point there.”

                “This is where we’re usually called to report, though,” noted Neji  “Where is Robin?  He’s usually here waiting for us.”

                A shadow passed over Hinata’s face.  “W-we h-have a p-problem.”

 

* * *

 

 

_Four more four more ohnoohnoohno too much Feet that crawl over the screaming city eyes that bawl and leak blood to the green dogs and where o where has my little Sharingan red eyes in the vampire’s gullet who stands next to the grandfather clock in the doctor’s spaceship grapefruit juice sounds odd to the soldiers follow worse than scum or if not we cannot love you hopeless in the void the picture shatters in the falling blood of leaves…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “Thanks Hinata.  You say they’re all here?  Bring them in immediately and I’ll lock up the building.”  Cyborg began to type a code into the computer.  “Oh, and do you or Neji see anything unusual?  You’re sure?  Okay, thanks.”  He pressed another button.  “Sai?  Come in, we’ve got everyone here.  I’m locking the doors.”  Flipping a few more switches, he muttered, “Don’t know why Star hasn’t come back yet.”

                “Cyborg?”  Sakura’s face filled the viewscreen.  “I thought you said Robin was the only one that needed attention.”

                “He is.”  Absentmindedly Cyborg entered the rest of the lockdown code and paused, hand wavering over the switch.  “Why?”

                “Well… Star’s here with him, and she looks pretty catatonic too.”

                “What?”  Cyborg’s mind processed the data rapidly, collected it, and compiled.  “Stay where you are.”  He ordered.  “I’m locking down the tower now, I’ll lock off your section specially.  The infiltrator’s probably there.  If we can…”

                He broke off as a small green dog trotted in the door.  “Gar?  What are you doing here?”

 

* * *

 

 

_So many minds thoughts thinking bubbles floating in the green bubblegum skies where the foxes flew beside the dancing ladies bubble minds each a mind so fragile and full of thoughts…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “Do they know yet who hit Robin?”  Naruto asked as the door slammed shut behind them.

                “N-no.”  Hinata shook her head.  “Th-they have no idea.  C-cyborg w-wants to lock down the facility until he knows.”

                “Makes sense.”   Chouji shrugged.

 

* * *

 

 

                _…minds all minds could break bubbles release sweet release be not proud though some have called thee Kyuubi and the flying through the skies on wings of happiness and vengeance over the sugar-cane fields of crawling bubbles of minds so many thoughts all together…_

 

* * *

 

 

                Sai frowned in thought as the door swung shut.  For some reason this still seemed like a bad idea to him.  Still, no sign of treachery yet.

 

* * *

 

 

                _…minds all confusing broken apart like a clay potter vessel given to a beetle of green girth and statute should put back together break the bubbles and pour fuel into one great coherent thought I’m thinking how odd I haven’t been able bubbles bubbles…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “Sure, just lock me in the infirmary with whatever psycho who might happen to be around here.”  Sakura grumbled as she adjusted Starfire on a bed of her own.  “Why not?  It’s not like the infirmary is a crucial place or anything, or like Robin or I am anybody important .  While you’re at it, why don’t you just break off in mid-sentence and leave me hanging, Cyborg?”  Sighing, she  fluffed up the Tamaranian’s pillow and slid it under her head.  “Guess I’m on my own, then.  Suppose I see…”

_…drip drip drip little April showers bring may pilgrims to the planet of Tasmania where the devils burrow through the sea and scream their shaded rage to the acknowledged world of bubblegum and ice cream.._

               

* * *

 

 

                “Chouji-kun!”  the gasp just barely pulled Chouji out of the world of swirling images.  He caught himself against the wall, braced up into a standing position and tried to smile reassuringly at Hinata.  Vaguely he caught sight of the others twitching on the floor

                “Chouji-kun!  Are you alright?”  Hinata seemed to be having difficulty also, but her words made things easier.  He attempted to answer…

                _…the trains of the wolves go ever faithful to the circus of the bubbling synaptic pot where all the minds go to join in one the water of life as worms go crawlingsquirmingsqueezing through the sky ceiling circle the infared light shows all minds in their proper place but set together in ultimate understanding…_

* * *

 

 

                Shino, head swimming, pressed his fingers to his head.  _A genjutsu, a genjutsu_ , he reminded himself, trying to push the thoughts away.  _My allies should…_

A fresh set of images swarmed into his head and he reared back with an inarticulate cry.

                _…believe it is peace in our village the eyes always watching the caged gorilla of the cosmic scarecrows ho ho how many nuts could a nutcracker crack if the cracker could nut olives? green delicious pistachio beetles…_

* * *

 

 

                Through the gathering blackness Neji heard a snarl and a startled gasp.  “Naruto-kun!”

                _…all minds the collective species of the ring and the hidden leaves of the wolves who go to and fro amidst the daffodils that float on clouds like candy-cotton eyes…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “When did this begin?”  Shikamaru distantly heard a voice snapping. 

                “Just now.  He’d been perfectly normal then suddenly started thrashing…”

                _…and the flashing flashing flashing of a demon that is dashing through the cancophany of lashing little whips that turn to weeds in a sea of bubbles hear the little poppopop of minds meeting…_

* * *

                Sasuke fell to the floor, he rolled about, clutching his temples fervently.  “Get out.”  He muttered.  “Getoutgetoutgetout GET OUT!”

                _…the skin crawls over the bones and prepares to leap upon it’s prancing prey amidst the lanes of canes that mark the pathway to incomprehendibility which we all must hop soon or late amidst the floating moat of blood-red eyeballs…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “GAH!”  Cyborg reared up, clutching his head.  “GET OUT… STOP… STOP THINKING…!”

                The green dog stared at him and shook his head.  “I fear I am too late.”

                Six hundred pounds of metallic man suddenly collapsed onto the control room floor, a stray hand knocking a switch as he did so.

                _…all minds so many minds fill the bubbles with the thoughts of others but popoppop and more bubbles needed the fragile skin-skull cannot hold the oh my little oh no oh no what did I sorry so sorry  but the release release and NO more thoughts…_

 

* * *

 

 

                “Titans Tower has just gone into complete lockdown.”  Batman frowned at the computer.

                “But that’s what you expected, isn’t it?”  From the passenger seat of the Batmobile, Wonder Woman glanced toward him, trying to hide her confusion.  She doubted she’d EVER understand Bruce.  “That message you intercepted—remind me to nag you about bugging the League’s communicator, by the way—said that’s exactly what they were going to do.”

                “Yes, but it still seems odd they would do it without any further follow up message, or some kind of general broadcast.”  Batman tapped his fingers against the steering wheel restlessly.  “Perhaps I ought to do a quick pass over with the Batwing just to make sure they’re alright.”

                This time Wonder Woman couldn’t hide her smirk.  “Perhaps you’re just worried about your apprentice’s mysterious injury.”

                “Ridiculous, Princess.”  His manner changing instantly, Batman tapped a few keys on the dashboard and studied the glowing route traced on the map.  “In any case, we don’t have time.  Bane is never one to take lightly.”

 

* * *

 

 

_...fireflies light up the world in the city of owls as the tadpoles tickle the octopus’ fur of the sestina of the seasons spelling wasps of orange and purple swam through the bells of Halloween Jack…_

                Sai forced himself upward.  He’d had this in training.  It was an interrogation technique, if a curiously construed one.  Carefully he drove his thoughts inward, focused them.

_…and the clouds bled rainbow thoughts to the oozing caverns below, their viscous liquid reflecting off the arteries and tributaries of the skies amidst the teddy bear both short and fat not to be wondered at…_

                Collecting his thoughts, he renewed his defenses, pushing the foreign thoughts outward.  Dimly he could feel chakra pounding into the seal on his neck, resisting the thoughts, shielding his inner mind from the worse.  Danzou had designed the seals himself, they would hold.

                _…and rolling rolling rolling the planet Bubble turned slowly in the great sea of the universe thoughts mixing melding dissolving all in one…_

                And then they were gone.  Sai stood erect, trembling, and breathing hard, but cognizant.  His mind was his own.  He could think, and though he could still feel the thoughts pounding against his mind, they could not yet touch him.  For a moment he calmed his thoughts, shored up his defenses, and regained control of his nerves.  Then he thought.

                _An external attack.  Interrogatory.   A strong genjutsu._   His hand stopped halfway to his belt.  _No.  Already tried that, genjutsu somehow able to overcome pain threshold.  Unless a secondary genjutsu?  But to what purpose?_   He shook his head.  _No.  More likely the agent of primary genjutsu, finally making assault on my mind._

Having determined his enemy, Sai’s mind quickly flew to what he had already hypothesized about the primary genjutsu.  It was extremely powerful and comprehensive, and incorporated pain very well.  Given that his friends were acting VERY much in character, he supposed that they were in a ‘shared’ genjutsu of some kind, with perhaps Shino and the Hyuugas imprisoned elsewhere.

As to who was running the genjutsu, Sai’s last memory was that of fighting Sasuke.  Conceivably, then, he was either in the infamous Tsukiyomi, a more basic Sharingan genjutsu, or another kind, implemented by a clan from a foreign village. 

                But that attack… Sai frowned.  He’d recognized that attack.  It was a Yamanaka-style brain invasion.  He’d undergone one once before, at the hands of Fu, one of Root’s higher jounins.  But that made no sense.  Yamanaka’s were exclusive to Konoha (with the exception of a few traitors).  Neither Sasuke nor a rival village should have access to one with that much power.

                But they would have access to Ino, he realized.  Ino had been with the rest of them when they were captured.  Perhaps she had fully succumbed to the genjutsu and was unintentionally being used to assault their minds.   Come to think of it… that WOULD explain her odd behavior over the last couple days.

                Sai drew his kunai, mind made up.  If he could break, or at least weaken, the technique’s hold on Ino, she should pull out of it enough to stop the attacks.  Hopefully, the experience would FINALLY convince her and the others of the unreality of this world, but in either case it would be a delay.

                The only weakness in this plan, Sai realized, was that he was currently on the bottom floor of the Tower, while Ino was on the fifth floor, near the top.  And doubtlessly the genjutsu would do everything possible to keep him from reaching there.

                Still, he had a mission now.  He drew his short sword as several dark figures materialized from the darkness.  “The mission.”  He muttered, staring intently at the creatures’ glowing red eyes.  “Nothing matters except the mission.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “We can’t send them any messages right now,” said Bumblee, turning to the dark-eyed Aqualad.  “Their base has gone into lockdown, everything’s cut off.”

                “A shame.”  Aqualad frowned.  He and the Titan’s East impromptu technician were sequestered in their own tower control room, studying a blinking transmission screen.  “I wanted Robin’s opinion on this lead… it could prove important.”

                “Especially if we could get that Kiba kid to help out.”  With a nod, the dark-skinned girl kicked off from the console and floated up into the air.  “His nose might be able to tell whether the lead is legit or not.”

                “Time’s running out on this.  I really wish Robin had been able to help with the investigation directly.  I’m no master detective.”

                Bumblebee shrugged.  “You do fine, we just don’t have anything to work with.  Or haven’t anyway, until now.”

                “Hm.”  Aqualad did not seem convinced, but let it pass.  “I suppose it did help when they sent us Beast Boy a few days ago.  And that… bug manipulator.”

                “He was weird.”

                A grin crossed Aqualad’s face.  “Bumblebee, ‘weird’ is practically a pre-requisite for our kind of work.  He made a number of valuable suggestions and offered some intriguing perspectives.  If he had not been there, we might not have found this latest clue in time.”

                “Assuming we can actually INVESTIGATE this latest clue in time for it to be of any good.”  Bumblebee threw another irritated look at the screen.

                “True.”  Again Aqualad frowned.  “How long does their lockdown usually last?”

                Shrugging, Bumblebee responded, “Depends.  It’s pretty much like ours, you realize, it ends only when they’ve decided the threat is over.  Could be an hour, could be a day… could be a week, although you might want to investigate if it gets that far.”

                “Hm.”  Aqualad considered.  “I don’t suppose I could just fly the jet there and request an emergency landing.”

                “You could. The defense systems would probably blow you apart before you landed, though.”

                Turning, Aqualad arched a disbelieving eyebrow.  “They’d DO that?”

                “I told you, it’s like our system.  They lock everything down.  Anyone not in the system or in the designated ‘lockdown’ areas is shot on sight.  Theoretically with non-lethal weaponry but…”  Bumblebee gave a shamefaced shrug.  “…well, with metas, ‘non-lethal’ is hard to determine.”

                “And I’m not in the system.”

                “You’re not a Titan.  Well, not a Titan West, anyway, and you’re DEFINITELY not a regular inhabitant of the Tower.  And even if you were…”  Bumblebee frowned, “…I’m not sure you’d be in the system any longer.  They had to rework their entire security protocol, remember?”

                “Hm.  That’s right.”

                “They might need to re-issue out identities to all the Titans.  Those ninja guys too, if they’re still there.”  Again Bumblebee frowned.  “I hope they got that ironed out before they activated the system.”

                “Why?”  Aqualad arched his other eyebrow.

                “Well, the inside system is much like the outside.  Shoot on sight.  Theoretically non-lethal, but…”

                “…hard to determine.”

                “Exactly.” 

                “What does the inside system consist of?  Ours is a bunch of little flying swarm bots, as I remember.”

                “Killer Beez.”  The girl’s face held a touch of annoyance.  “Cybernetic flyers to supplement the already-installed aggressive security functions.  I can’t be sure, but I imagine Cyborg must’ve made robot copies of himself for his base.”

 

* * *

 

 

                _Metallic ninjas._   Sai wondered as his kunai smashed through another faceplate.  _Who would include something as ridiculous as metallic ninjas in their genjutsu?_ It was a dead giveaway.

                Then again, so were the green floating men, the strange orange girl, and the shape-shifting furry boy.  Whoever was running this genjutsu must be confident enough in its strength to include such obvious impossibilities.  Sai almost felt a passing admiration for the man.

                That was quickly squelched, though, by the whine of a sonic cannon powering up.  Eyes widening, Sai leapt back a full ten feet and whipped around the passageway, just as the burst of energy shot straight past him.  He took the interval to draw out his scroll and scribble down a hasty sketch.  Holding up his hands in a familiar seal, he felt the chakra flow out of him and into the ink.

                Instantly ten lions shot from the page, roaring around the corner to tear into the robotic ranks.  Sai followed a step behind them, supplementing their attacks with the occasional kunai or explosive note—not many though, his supplies were already low.

                His lions didn’t last long.  Fast and strong they might be, but they were still just ink, and disintegrated under one solid hit from a laser cannon.  Still, they made an effective shield as he leapt and dove his way through the metallic ninjas and the various other… devices planted in the corridors.

                This particular section was proving tricky.  After a rather painful encounter with an electric floor, Sai had zipped across on an ink eagle, only to have it shot down by a laser cannon on the wall.  Much to his relief, the floor was no longer electrical, however rather distressingly, it WAS full of razor-tipped spikes.

                Momentarily Sai wondered about the usefulness of having a floor panel that turned to spikes.  Then it occurred to him that, as said device was ripping his arm muscles apart, it was probably a fairly useful security device, at least for a genjutsu.  Ignoring the pain, he planted a hand on the floor and launched himself up to the wall, boosting chakra to his feet.  The whine of a tracking laser alerted him to several floating robots (floating?  This was REALLY pushing it), and he put on a burst of speed, leaping from wall to wall to evade the blasts that tore up the ground behind him.

                He was running so fast he didn’t even notice the electrified wall until it was too late.

                Pain shot through his soles, up his legs.  Faintly he smelt the burn of rubber as the hallway swirled around him.  His skull met the floor with a crack, and bright lights exploded in his skull.  He fought them back, blinked them away and focused on the glowing red eyes beyond.

                His feet found the ground, pushed against it.  He was up, his arm shot out, sword in hand.  The first pair of eyes broke apart in a shatter of metal and glass.  He caught the second pair on the edge of his blade and it…

                …dissolved in smoke?

                Sai had not the luxury to consider it.  More eyes were approaching, some with the steady, slow tread of the metallic ninjas, others with the bob of the floating robots,  others with a new, erratic movement that leapt all over the place.  Sai shot amongst them, slashing and cutting, still wary of the multitude traps.  As he shot under one of the emergency lightings, he caught a glimpse of his new assailants.

                Foxes? 

Sai shrugged.  At least they were more probable than the flying metallic ninjas.  Perhaps the genjutsu master was learning.  He tossed a few shuriken and watched them poof into smoke before whipping around and bringing up his sword.  Six darts bounced off the metal blade, making light pings as they rebounded into the darkness.  He jumped for the eyes that had fired them, but even as he did he heard the whirr of a charging laser…

“AAAAGH!”  Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of shattered metal.  Sai could not ponder the identity of the new intruder, he was too busy plunging his sword into the attackers around him.  But though he could not SEE his new ally, he could hear her—and it was a her—very well.

“AH!  DIE!  TAKE THAT, STUPID  TRASHCAN REJECT!  HAhaHA!  Up YOURS!  Yeah, whadda think about THAT, huh?  Bet they didn’t teach you THAT at the Ultimate Jerkass Academy!  I’ll bet you… AH!  OH YOU ARE SO DEAD BUSTER!”

The newcomers monologue continued for the rest of the fight, until finally the robots seemed to clear away and the two managed to win a breathing space.  Only then did Sai turn to his newfound comrade—and stumble back in shock.  Despite the dimly glowing glare of the emergency lighting, he could easily make out the shock of brilliant pink hair atop his psychotic savior.  With difficulty, he cleared his throat.

“Sakura-san?”  He asked, somewhat dubiously.

Sakura’s head jerked around, her eyes curiously wide and her mouth set in a decidedly disturbing grin.  “Not exactly.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “What do you mean, changed?”  Luthor’s pace was rapid and clipped, and the scientist beside him struggled to match it.

                “I mean, sir, he’s acting completely contrary to our testing sessions.  He’s awake—despite the medication—and completely lucid and complete sane.  Nothing about killing or destroying or anything.”

                “Fascinating.”  Luthor’s brow furrowed in concentration.  “Our collaborator indicated he had some sort of multiple personality disorder, perhaps this is the other persona.  But why should he unveil it now, when all our other prisoners are simply catatonic?”

                The scientist made a helpless gesture.  “I’m not sure, sir.  At first, his reaction was the same at the others—thrashing and uttering incoherent phrases.  We had all the guards on standby and were about to call for backup, when he suddenly fell silent and simply collapsed back onto the bed.  By that time, we’d heard about the others, and just assumed…”  the scientist paused as the blast doors slid open.  “…but then he woke back up and started talking.”  Again he shrugged helplessly.  “I contacted you as soon as possible.”

                “You were right to do so.”  Luthor nodded, turning to a balcony above a piece of silvered glass.  “Make it transparent, and give me audio.  I want to talk to him while he’s like this.”

                The glass turned clear, and Luthor offered a pleasant smile to the man strapped to the table below.  “ _Konichiwa_ , Juugo.”

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

                “So, you are not Sakura, but a separate version of Sakura, who exists inside her mind.”

                “Boy, you’re awful fast for an insensitive clueless pervert who couldn’t socialize his way out of a Inuzuka pack,” snorted Sakura.  Or rather ‘not-Sakura,’ whatever she was.  “For over the third time, yes, I’m forehead girl’s inner persona.”  Ducking a laser blast, she shot back up and smashed an annoying robot to bits.  “First time I’ve been out in a while.”

                “I see.”  Sai considered this a moment.  “And… why are you out now?”

                An angry shrug answered him.  “How am I supposed to know, moron?  All I know is that the rest of Sakura is down for the count, and I’M the only voice left in this head to keep track of things!”

                “I see.”

                “This is just like the time that pig Ino tried to take over my head.”  A hint of triumph came into not-Sakura’s voice as she punched her way through three red-eyed foxes.  “Sure showed HER who was boss.  HA!”

                “Ah.”  Things were taking a bit more shape now.  This non-Sakura persona must be invulnerable to genjutsus or mind-control jutsus.  Sai had always wondered about Sakura’s skill with the techniques, now he began to understand it somewhat.  Perhaps she would understand.  “You know, then, what’s going on here?”

                “Not the slightest clue.”  Non-Sakura shook her head.

                “What?  Even you cannot tell that we are all trapped in a giant comprehensive pain-incorporating mutual genjutsu that is finally making an assault upon us?”  Sai eyed the pink haired girl with a touch of disappointment.  “I would have thought you’d notice.”

                Not-Sakura eyed him with one dilated green pupil.  “Y’know what?  Forget what I said earlier.  You’re hopeless even for an insensitive clueless pervert.”

                Sai would have replied had he not been occupied with a new metallic ninja.  Their numbers seemed to be thinning, which was good but made no sense.  Surely the genjutsu master could simply generate more?  Perhaps he was dropping them in favor of the rabid foxes… there certainly seemed to be more of THOSE around.

                Regardless, things were definitely easier with Not-Sakura around.  Her manners left something to be desired, but her ferocity was invaluable, and her sheer strength made her a valuable ally.  A good thing, too, as Sai’s ink had begun to run low. 

They were now on the third level.  Ino’s room was located two floors higher (unless the genjutsu master had created a few extra ones between them).   The best choice of transportation would be the elevator (unless he had changed that too), but that was currently locked down.  They could either take the stairs or try to unlock it through the control room.  Sakura had opted for the control room.  Sai did not consider this the best option, but he knew better than to argue with Sakura, especially a deranged, psychotic killer persona of Sakura.

Unfortunately, the control room seemed to be the most heavily guarded location on base—at least the most in terms of those annoying hallway defenses.  Sai was getting VERY tired of electrified floors and mounted laser cannons.  And he had very few shuriken left to deal with them.  Growling, he prepared another to take out a particularly offensive mounted cannon.

_…the slithy toves went gimbling over the reeds of Greenland in the aftershocks of the fire storm that sent blackened warthogs tumbling from the necks of circus holes and great grandfather clocks ticking ticking…_

Sai stumbled, caught himself, and tossed a shuriken at the laser gun.  The seal was weakening.  They needed to hurry.  Turning to face a new wave of opponents, Sai readied himself only to leap backwards as a brilliant wave of blue light tore into his enemies.  A quick glance around showed him the source.

“Get ready!  A  big one!”  Sai called, whipping out his sword.  The single eye looming through the darkness was very large, very red, and accompanied by a noticeable hum of power.  This would probably be a rather difficult battle.

At that moment, to Sai’s intense confusion, a stoic-looking Cyborg stepped into the light, accompanied by a small green dog.

 

“Gar?”  Not-Sakura was apparently just as surprised as he.  “Where’s Raven?  Cyborg, what’s going on around here?”

The dog just cocked his head and looked at them.  Cyborg did not immediately respond, but simply stared at them for a long moment or two, then opened his mouth and said in a decided monotone:  “Analysis complete.  Two organics identified as Sai and Haruno Sakura, temporary residents of tower.  Alignment: Ally.  Both appear to be in moderate physical condition, despite numerous wounds.”

“Huh?”  Not-Sakura arched a hostile eyebrow.  “Cyborg, you okay?  Gar, what’s wrong with trashman here?”

Again, surprisingly, Beast Boy did not respond.  Again, Cyborg mentioned in the same odd manner.  “Status of Cyborg Unit: Operational.  All parts in functioning order.  Experiencing difficulty with organic mental processors.  Forced to rely on behavior protocols contained in synthetic part of body.”

Sai thought about this a moment.  “You are saying, then, that due to the divided nature of your mind, one half can absorb the genjutsu, leaving the other free to function normally?”

“Term ‘genjutsu’ not recognized.”  Cyborg blinked at the Root nin.  “Please try again.”

“Let it go.”  Not-Sakura waved casually.  “We got it.  Okay, so you’re a walking bunch of bolts right now.  But what’s wrong with Beast Boy?”

“Beast Boy is currently insensible in Raven’s quarters.”

Sai’s mind processed various interpretations of that phrase, but Not-Sakura was focused on another matter entirely.  “Then who the heck is that stupid mutt?”

“Unknown.”

“What?”  Both Sai and Sakura blinked at this revelation.

“Individual 102934 has been met recently.  Species: Canine.   Alignment: Ally.  Preferred designation has not yet been learned.”

“Ooookaaaay…”  Not-Sakura eyed the two dubiously.  “So you’re friends with a wacko puppy dog.  Why not.  Any idea where all the other losers are and why they’re not helping us?”

Cyborg tilted his head, considering.  “Ninja Rock Lee is insensible in the training area.  Ninja Aburame Shino is insensible in the landing bay.  Ninja Yamanaka Ino is insensible in her quarters.  Titans Starfire and Robin are insensible together in the infirmary.  Ninjas Hinata, Naruto, Neji, Chouji, and Kiba are all insensible together on the top floor.”

Sai’s mind was screaming with the alternate translations.  Desperately he sought to stay focused.  “We need to access the elevator.  Can you unlock it?”

“Negative.  The base is in lockdown and the elevator has been sealed.  The release for the lockdown is dependent on my organic processing units, which are currently inoperable.  However, still possible to employ elevator.”

Sai blinked.  “How?”

“Elevator shaft reaches all levels of tower.  Possible to travel directly to affected floor.  Doors, though locked, can be removed through use of excessive force.”  Cyborg began to walk past them, staring firmly ahead, dog trotting at his heels.  “Useable elevator shaft nearby, pursuing quickest possible route.”

“Affected floor?”  Not-Sakura arched an eyebrow.  “What do you mean, affected floor?”

“Individual 102934 has informed me that the psychic disturbance is emanating from Yamanaka Ino.”  A flash of light shot from Cyborg’s cannon, destroying the wall directly behind them.  Methodically he strode over the rubble, blasting the metallic ninjas that came hurrying forward.  “Disturbance can only be halted by directly confronting Yamanaka Ino.”

Sai nodded, that meshed, more or less, with his own plan.  He very much doubted the genjutsu creature intended to find Ino for the same reason as he did, but it would be easy to betray him later.

Not-Sakura, unsurprisingly, was more vocal about the matter.  “What?  Oh, c’mon, Ino-pig is a bitch and all, but attacking her is a bit much, don’tcha think?”

“We are not attacking her.”  Cyborg’s cannon was going off right and left, Sai had only to slash the few foxes that broke through the barrage.  “Individual 102934 has a plan for dealing with the situation.”

“Oh, the doggie has a plan, does he?  That’s good to know.”  Sarcasm was heavy on Not-Sakura’s voice.  “He wouldn’t happen to know what’s up with the rabid foxes in here, would he?”

“No.”  There was a hint of hesitation in Cyborg’s robotic voice.  “I am unable to explain their presence, and Individual 102934 has not mentioned them.”

Sai had a perfectly rational explanation for them, but he did not think it would help to mention it to the others.  He certainly had no intentions of revealing his knowledge to the genjutsu master.  Instead, he concentrated for the moment on slicing as many of them open as possible.

“Elevator reached.”  He heard Cyborg say.  “Stand clear.”  There was a noise of tearing metal, and two thick sheets of metal came whistling past Sai’s ear to smash into the attackers.  “Access to elevator achieved.”

“I could have handled that.”  Not-Sakura grumbled as they entered the elevator.  “I would have if you’d asked me nicely, jerk.”

“What now?”  Sai asked, ignoring his psychotic teammate.  “I thought the elevator wouldn’t operate with the lockdown in place.”

“Affirmative.  Elevator is simply in way, elevator shaft is the crucial room to acquire access to.”  Cyborg frowned upwards.  “Ceiling could be removed through excessive force, but unnecessary.  Emergency exit in roof will secure desired access.”

“I’LL get that, thank you very much.”  Not-Sakura glanced around the ceiling.  “Where is it?”

“It is located where the sign says ‘Emergency Exit.’”

“Oh.  Well thanks for making me look like an idiot, garbage man.”  Sakura leapt up and smashed the sign with one hand.

“Gratitude accepted.  Also, emergency exit could be opened.  Force not necessary.”

“I’ll use force whenever I please, moron,” snapped Sakura, already climbing through the exit.  “Now c’mon and get out here…”  She paused.  “Whoah.  Someone did a number on her.”

“Who?”  Sai jumped upwards, caught the sides of the hole with his hands and pulled himself up.  Then he caught sight of the person in question.

Hinata’s crumpled body was lying insensible on the elevator rooftop.  Much of her clothing was torn, and her body bore the marks of many scratches, shallow and deep.  Most noticeable was the rising bruise on her face, where presumably she had fallen on the elevator car.

“Hm.”  Sai surveyed the Hyuuga with mild surprise.  Why would the genjutsu do something like this?

“I thought you said Hinata was insensible with Naruto and the others?”  Sakura turned to Cyborg, who was struggling up through the hole.

“That was based on outdated intelligence.  I am at a loss to explain her presence here or her condition.”

Sai decided to play along.  “Apparently she was in a fight with the foxes,” observed he.  “She must have been knocked down the elevator shaft, or perhaps she was even fighting within the shaft itself.”

“Makes sense.”  Not-Sakura nodded.  “But this looks like more than foxes.  Who could she have been fighting with?”

**“That would be me, brat.”**

Three heads shot up to face a maliciously grinning blonde, crouched against the wall of the elevator shaft  His canines glinted dangerously in the reddish tint of the lights.

Not-Sakura arched an eyebrow. “Naruto?”

The blonde’s head tilted a little, and his smile grew wider.  “ **Naruto isn’t here right now**. **”**

 

\-------------------------- ------------------    ------------------------------      -----------   ------------------------  --------------

 

                “J’onn’s not here right now, or he could easily help with this.”  Green Lantern frowned.  “When did you say it began?”

                “Around two hours ago.  He was just in the tube as normal, floating around, throwing insults at us, when all of a sudden he let out a howl and the water started churning and boiling and everything.  We thought the tube was going to break, but just as it was getting really bad, it all stopped, and now it’s settled into this.”  The scientist gestured at the tube, full of nothing but clear, calm water.  “We’ve blown bubbles through it, heated it up, even opened it once—but nothing.”

                “He’s reverted into completely still water.”    Superman marveled.    “Not even any body.  You’re sure you weren’t doing anything… unusual to him directly before this happened?”

                “Nothing at all.  All the readouts show conditions as normal.”

                Flash cocked his head.  “Why do you say J’onn could help with this?  We don’t know it’s mental or psychic or anything.”

                “It seems like a coma to me.”  Lantern shook his head.  “But that fit right before he went catatonic almost seems to indicate something further—like a seizure of some kind.  It’s certainly not an escape ploy of his and it doesn’t seem he was feeling any kind of pain or anything unusual beforehand.  Of course, it might be the chakra equivalent of a heart attack or something.”  Sighing, he touched a hand to his ear.  “Terrific?  Where are you?”

                “On my way down.”  The communicator crackled.  “I’ve been informed of the situation.  But there’s something odd—it sounds like he had the fit just when the Titans locked their tower down.  There may be some kind of connec…”

                “AAAAARRRRGH!!”  Superman’s hands flew to his head.  “Wha… WAHHHHHHH!!”  His legs gave way and he keeled to the floor, panting.

                “Supes?”  Flash dashed to Clark’s side.  “Supes, what’s the…”

                “OUT!  Stay OUT!”  Superman’s arm lashed out and nearly smashed into Wally.  “No, stop, no more… NO MORE!”

                “Superman!”  Immediately a green force field was around the caped hero.  “Get a grip!  Pull yourself together man, what’s going on!”

                “There’re… voices… images… they’re everywhere!  The beetles creeping over the face of doom where chaos sits in state and… AAAGH!”

                “Superman!”

                The mighty Man of Steel fell to the floor, writhing.

 

\---- ----     ------------    --------------   -----------------   ------------------         --    ------------------   ----------------  -----

 

                _…help help I can’t stop so many minds bubbles like planets bursting and the cries frozen in the dark where pieces mix and flow together like the fields of jell-o amidst the crashing bashing my only son given to the galaxy’s life where holes swallow up the dark…_

 

  * \-------  ---_------          __-__        ----------___--                    -------------____-           -------------------__



 

                “Analysis: psychic attack has debilitated ninja Uzumaki Naruto’s ability to suppress the Kyuubi will, causing it to achieve dominance over the body.”

                “No duh, GENIUS.  Ya think?”  Not-Sakura grumbled, dodging another stream of chakra.  “Just be glad it’s only his will that we have to worry about.  If he had access to his chakra, we’d be in REAL trouble.”

                Sai chose not to comment on the fact that Naruto had fairly strong chakra reserves already.

                “ **Indeed.”**   Naruto—no, Kyuubi, snarled as he leapt back, racing along the wall.  **“Would that I had my own power to crush you like the insects you are.  But though this pitiful vessel and his seal prevent me from attaining my full strength, I still possess the abilities  to destroy you all.”**   He clapped his hands together.  “ **Kage Bunshin no jutsu!”**

                Thousands of the little orange, rabid foxes appeared about him, teeth bared for the fight.  As they leapt at the ninjas, a jet of fire shot from Naruto’s mouth, barely missing Not-Sakura.  She said something Sai hadn’t even known she’d heard.  “Hey, bolt head!”  She called down the shaft.  “Haul your metallic ass up here and give us a hand!”

                “Reply: Metallic posterior inoperable, as legs are missing.  Hands still present, but distance makes transfer impractical.”  Cyborg was lying, very calmly, on the elevator car beside Hinata.  Both his legs had been blown apart by a well-placed Rasengan, and he could only watch as the other two ninjas battled their way up the shaft.

                Sai was more familiar with technical terminology than Sakura.  “Covering fire requested!” he managed to shout, in between fox attacks.

                “Acknowledged.”  Blue light lit up the shaft, cutting into the fox ranks.  It occurred to Sai that a weapon like Cyborg’s was really quite useful in such a confined space.  It was also, of course, quite hazardous to any allies you might have in said confined space, but that was true of any weapon.

                The light cut out and Sai plunged into the dense smoke cloud left from the dissipated fox _bunshins_.  It would soon be gone and he needed to make the most of it.  Unfortunately, Not-Sakura was probably doing the same on the other side, so he didn’t dare leap across or even do any routine swerving for fear of running into her.  He simply ran in a straight line and hoped Kyuubi hadn’t seen him.

                He hadn’t.  But he HAD seen Sakura.

                “GAH!  You STUPID demon fox-possessed MORON!  I don’t care if you are some ageless embodiment of evil wearing Naruto’s body, you are going DOWN for that!”  There was a large cracking sound from the other side of the shaft.  “Oh SNAP!  You did NOT just…”  Another smash.  Sai was clear of the smoke now, but he didn’t dare look back to see the fight.  The floor he needed was only a few inches higher.  “AaaaGGAH!  Naruto, if you ever get your right mind back I am going to KILL you for being so moronically…”

                A sudden loud clang, as if of bone hitting metal, cut her short.  Moments later, great streaks of blue lit up the shaft.  “Cyborg unit in distress!  Requesting assistance!”  Sai could hear the battle but he ignored it.  The genjutsu creation could handle itself, and he had far more pressing concerns—the enormous metal door sealing off the hallway from the shaft.  Reaching into his pouch, he whipped out one of his last remaining explosive tags, and placed it on the door.  Then, leaping back to the opposite wall (and narrowly avoiding a stray blast from Cyborg) he held up his hands in a seal.

                BOOOOOM!

                So much for stealth.  Sai could practically hear Naruto’s head whipping around.  Even worse, the door appeared as solid as before.  Desperately he prepared another tag.

                “Observation has revealed ally Sai’s plan.  Rendering assistance, request ninja Sai stand clear!”  Sai had barely time to understand this before a truly enormous blast lit up the shaft and smashed into the door.  A series of growing growls beneath alerted him to the Kyuubi’s attention, and he dove for the now gaping hole…

                _…deep deep into the mountain of darkness where the pink petticoats drift softly through the screaming children as they practice their geriatrics amidst the lull of a sheepskin boat monkey thought ‘twas all in Konoha…_

 

\--_--         ___-----_#--_       ##---_______-___------    __--------------#--___         _____-----------___     ---_-

 

                Deep in Jump City, Milidred Cruller sat up in bed, clutching her grey hairs.  “My stars!  She moaned.  “My stars!”

                _…beside the waterfall of goose feathers we sat and wailed for the six merry marmalades of how do you solve a problem the green light of a sister reveals the wings of a gorilla…_

 

##--__            ___--------_-------                ___----_--#^---________--         ^^^^___-------------_-------#*----

 

                Sai felt the floor as he plowed into it.  Vaguely behind him he heard the growing snarls of the fox pack.  _Push up,_ he told himself.  _Keep working, remember your training._

Upward he struggled, raising his sword.  He backpedalled down the hallway as quickly as possible, making sure to face the open elevator door.  Which room was Ino’s?  Was that locked too?  Could he break it?

                A sharp whine distracted him for a moment, and he stared in bewilderment as a small green dog clambered over the ledge and dashed toward him, yipping frantically.  That thing is still with us?

                He forced the thought away as dozens of rabid foxes came plowing through the hole.  Left and right he slashed with his sword, continually moving backward.  The hallway filled with smoke but more kept coming.

                _…born on a valley we all go merrily down to the haiku of the sapphires…_

                He fought the words away and kept fighting.  The hallway around him was twisting, and he could barely see the walls through the strangely shifting shapes, but he needed to keep on.  Behind him he heard the dog yipping… yipping at a door!  Ino’s door!  He backpedaled even faster, scattering water droplets as he did.  Those sprinkler things were on now—doubtless activated by the smoke.  Pausing outside the door, he reached for his last explosive note…

_…the cage of ink held the deer trapped within the forest of sand as blood leaked over teeth and gums a once-friend stared over the treetops for the sake of the stadium…_

__---***$#-                __----##___-----^-*-__#@---_              __---- _*#@$------     _--*--#$---           #*--____

 

                At a gas station near the waterfront, two masked men stood at the counter, guns at the ready.  As the sweating teen across from them shoveled cash out of the register, one of the two suddenly screamed and folded in half.  “No… NO!  Too much!  No MORE!  TURN THE SHIT OFF!”  He collapsed to the floor, still screaming.  “TURN IT OFF!”

                “What the…” his partner and the teen stared at him open-mouthed.  “Daran?  Hey, Daran, stick with me!  Man, keep at this, we gotta… Aw shit man, the fuzz are gonna hear… Daran!”

                _…the ankh of Mordecai the Martian who sewed shut the mouths of cannons with but a pixie stick and ankle tendons that whistled merrily of Jack the Box and all the effort in voodoo would never suffice to…_

 

\--*@#%-                )@#^----___^             #$---__()---##*^^---__--$#*             ---*___^_#@--               -#/*

 

                _…force it back… BACK!  The mission!  Focus on the Mission._

                Dizzily Sai realized that the little green dog was standing over him, darting at the little foxes with a bizarre ferocity.  Smoke was still in the air.  Drizzling rain was falling all around him.  He staggered upright, and, using the time the dog had given him, tugged out a small scroll—one of his pre-arranged drawings.  Undoing the clasp, he let it fall open and held up his hands in a seal, trying to focus the necessary chakra.  Several wolves sprang to life from the paper and shot at the foxes, forcing them back.

                With a weary grin at the dog, Sai turned almost lazily toward the door… it was a door, right?  What was that eyeball… oh, hallucinations.  Focus.  The mission.  Picking up his dropped explosive note, he reached out and placed it squarely in the middle of a screaming green mouth.  Strange that a mouth should feel so metallic.  Again he brought up his fingers.

                BOOM!

                Sai flew back against the wall and for a moment the pain made everything clear.  The hallway was dim, red emergency lighting glinting from the thousand little drops of the sprinklers.  He could make out his ink wolves fighting off the foxes… they were losing. 

Beyond the exploded door, he could see a crumpled mass of blonde hair on the ground.

 _There._   Slowly he struggled forward…

_…squids that burrow beneath the skyline of the skin and suck the bones from gaping river interlaced with the times of bats and kings towers stood against the water ooze creeping from their eyelets of…_

 

            ---#$-__       @-()*   _              ----^%__----@#$---____@#34___--------                 )*-           __

 

                “Milla?  Honey, did you have a bad dream?  We heard you screaming… Milla?  Milla, please wake up dear.  Wake up, Milla, mommy’s here.  This isn’t funny.  Milla, you need to…”

                _…the eyes of flame built the teeth of this great sandwich amidst the flotsam and jetsam of the demon’s head the dreaming that is seeming to feed oneself on batter why the sea is boiling hot…_

 

                                ()------_#@$                                       *@                         ()!@#---!@___12#!$------------------

 

                Sai snapped suddenly back into consciousness, just in time to roll away from the Rasengan aimed at his head.  Panting, he leapt to his feet and reached for his sword… but it was gone.  Warily he eyed the growling Naruto creeping toward him on all fours.   Sai was nearly out of chakra… but Naruto probably had much more to spare.

                _Why is everything so clear?_

                Naruto and he continued circling each other.  Now Naruto was between he and Ino’s room.  **“Don’t try it, brat.  That girl’s the only thing keeping my noisy host out of things right now.  I’m not about to get completely free for the first time in years, only to be swallowed up by that blonde-headed excuse for a ninja.”**

Something furry bumped against Sai’s leg.  He didn’t dare look down but he knew what it was.  _That thing is still here?_   He wondered.

                Slowly, he could not tell where, a strange, wild idea obsessed him.  He had to get the dog into Ino’s room.  He simply had to.  Once that little green dog could get over to Ino’s body, all of this would be over.  Nothing would matter anymore.

                Except Naruto was still between the dog and Ino.

                Water dripped down his nose as he considered.  He could keep circling and hope Naruto moved away, but he doubted it would work.  He could charge head on, but the Kyuubi would be ready for that and simply bat him away.  He had no more shuriken, no more explosive tags, very little ink.

                More water trickled down his face.  Things felt curiously quiet now.  Almost still.  Distractedly, he watched the red-tinted water spray through the air.

                Water…

                Sai smiled a long, slow, genuine smile.  “Go.”  He whispered to the dog.  “I’ll take care of Kyuubi.”  As quickly as he dared, he whipped up his hands in a seal.  “Hey dickless.”  He told Naruto.  “I’m a water type.”

 

          Q*$)                            *@(---___^$%(                                                ()                             $#^$                      _-

 

                _…the runic rhyme with the cleaning fluid that fills the bubbles and poppopop so many bubbles sso many minds out there more beyond the water grab touch break…_

 

                                (23_--                                                    *&#@^--___23e-- `()/                                   *---2#&

 

                The green dog dashed forward as the water dragon shot at the blonde ninja.  Steam arose around him as it met the blonde’s fireball.  He shot over the threshold, making for the child…

 

$--                          _#($                       (#--                                        _9^@(                                  *(#----^(-2#@#

 

_…the emperor of ice cream decreed that all the bubbles should break in the so many bubbles so separate we mortal millions live alone like dots in a space connect them break the bubbles flow together…_

 

                *(--                        *)                            ^%--                                      #@---__                               *()         

 

                The dog leapt into the air, just barely dodging the fireball shot after him.  His body arched, it shifted, it changed form…

 

                                                                -&$-                       */^--(

 

_…nein the sash fits you wonderfully like a line through a bubble of crying crying crystal of the another mind strong very strong who is this why are things…_

_Hello?_

_Hush, little one.  Calm yourself.  Hide within my fold._

 

* * *

 

 

                Milla woke up screaming and melted into her mother’s arms.

 

* * *

 

 

                Miles away, a profitable conversation with a suddenly cooperative prisoner was cut short by a fresh outburst of raging.  An orderly hurried up to Luthor.  “Sir, the others are waking up.”

 

* * *

 

 

                As the police poured in the door, Daran raised himself up, pale and trembling, and surrendered without a fight.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Ohhhhh…”  Superman eased up off the floor.  “Wha… what the heck was that?”

                Green Lantern and Flash eyed him, unsure of what to say.  In the nearby tube, a familiar figure came back into existence.

 

* * *

 

 

                Milidred Cruller’s son Ford came in to see what was wrong with his mother.  Moments later, he called the ambulance.  She had had a heart attack.

 

* * *

 

 

                And all over the Titan’s Tower, the others started to wake up.  Lee blinked back into wakefulness and felt his aching head.  Shino stumbled up and reached about for his sunglasses.  Raven woke up to find Beast Boy slumped across her and shoved him off seconds before he also awoke.

                And in the infirmary, Robin jolted into wakefulness and leapt from the bed.  Ignoring Starfire’s cries, he dashed out into the hallway, making for the elevator.  He took a few seconds to check on Cyborg and the still-comatose Hinata before shimmying up the elevator cable and jumping through the smoking hole.  Stepping over Sai and Naruto’s crumpled bodies, he surveyed the tattered interior of Ino’s room.

                There, leaning over Ino, long green fingers pressed against her skull, was J’onn J’onnz, the Martian Manhunter.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Miss Yamanaka’s brain structure is similar to that of a Martian’s.”  J’onn explained later in the conference room.  “I recognized this immediately upon examining her, but was unaware, or rather—unsure—of the possible implications and so said nothing.”  He bowed his head in shame.  “I should have foreseen this development.”

Robin nodded contemplatively.  It fit.  He’d realized Ino was the telepath when he’d had that episode outside her room, he just hadn’t known how it’d happened.  “You’re saying, then, that her… bloodline, as they call it in Konoha, is a mutation of some kind?  That made her a telepath?”

“A… latent one.  Potential.  Before her, I doubt any of her bloodline have unlocked this.”

“Why did this happen to her now?”  Sai—who really ought to have been in the medical ward with Hinata, Cyborg, and Naruto (though not badly wounded, Naruto was sorely confused about how he’d come to the fifth floor)—asked.  “She has never done anything like this before.”

“That is partially my fault.”  J’onn threw an apologetic look to the shivering blonde girl beside him.  “It is dangerous for a Martian to attempt to read another Martian’s mind.  When she first arrived at the tower, I attempted such a mindread.  I quickly broke the link as soon as I realized what was happening, but apparently it was too late.  My interference unlocked the shielded parts of her brain, completely opened up her mind.”

“Which caused the memory flashes.”  Robin smiled grimly.  He glanced up at Starfire, who was hovering anxiously above him.  “I suppose an untrained telepath wouldn’t know how to block things out.”

“Exactly.  She was unused to her abilities and could not even tell when she was using them.  Her brain, slowly unhinging, began to read more and more nearby minds without even trying.  As her range increased, so did the thoughts she heard.  They grew to be too much, she needed to send them elsewhere.”

“Neji and I.”

“Indeed.  The transition from empath to telepath is quite dramatic, and often painful.  I felt it from my home in China, and left my wife immediately to investigate… though not, it would seem, in time to prevent the vortex.  I was forced to adopt a disguise, both physical and mental, to mask my presence from the girl’s mind.  It would have latched onto me immediately and I should have had to fight her mentally—an ordeal I do not think she would survive.  I could only halt the vortex through direct contact.”

“Vortex?  What happened here?”  Robin arched an eyebrow.  “What is that, exactly?”

“Put simply, it is a complete joining of minds.  A sharing of all thoughts, all memories, all sentiments into one giant collective whole.  It is the logical extension of a mind running loose reading and releasing thoughts.  Ino’s mind reached out to those nearby and those familiar to her.  If she had been allowed to persist, she might have encompassed the city as well.”

“And what would have happened then?”

“Her brain would probably have broken under the strain.  It takes a powerful telepath to connect so many minds without breaking.  As for the city…”  J’onn shrugged.  “Most would go insane.  A few fortunate ones might die from the shock.”

Ino, still quivering, raised a pair of wide blue eyes to the Martian.

“It has happened before.”  He nodded.  “On Mars.  A certain cult, the White Martians, believed the path to true enlightment lay in the complete joining of minds.  They formed a coven and all opened their minds to each other… it was disastrous.  Insanity does not begin to describe the horror.  Martians have always kept strict control of their minds since that day.”

“Why does the vortex drive one insane?”  Shino spoke up for the first time from his position near the door.  “Is not it beneficial to have a single, hive mind amongst one’s team?”

J’onn smiled sadly.  “So thought the White Martians.  But to become a part of one whole mind requires losing any part of yourself.  You no longer have any identity, personality… you have no ordering principle.  And as no part of the one whole can have identity or understanding, the whole does not have it either.  It becomes a great, unidentifiable, mindmass of chaos.”

There was a long silence while the others mulled over this.  Finally, Robin asked the practical question.  “Will this happen again?”

“Undoubtedly.” J’onn nodded, face grim.  “It would be happening now were I not to have placed her mind within an isolation bubble.  As long as I maintain it, she can neither hear your thoughts nor send them to others.  For the first time in months, she is being herself.”

“Hm.”  Robin studied Ino’s pale face.  From the looks of things, it would take her a while to get used to the idea.  “What do you suggest?”

“There is no suggestion, I fear.  I must remain here, both to keep her shielded and to train her how to control her powers.  Otherwise, what has happened here will happen again.”  J’onn looked at Sai and Ino.  “I must ask your people to put aside their animosity toward the League, however justified, and allow me to do this thing.  The only alternative is to take her to the Metro Tower for me to train there.”

Sai looked at Shino and raised his eyebrows.  Shino shrugged.  “It appears we have little choice, then.”  Heaving himself from the wall, he advanced toward the Martian.  “Very well.  We accept your offer and—if it is agreeable to Robin—invite you to stay here train Ino-san.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Huntress woke up as Question was pulling on his overcoat.  “Wuzz goin’ on?  You going to grab breakfast?  Don’ get it from that Mexican place, that makes me puke.”   She considered a moment.  “Don’ get it from McDonalds either, that stuff makes me puke too.”

                “Everything here makes you puke.”  Question threw a bemused faceless expression at her.  “I thought you grew up in Gotham, I thought you’d be used to the food here.”

                “Shaddup.”  Yawning, Huntress sat up and rubbed her eyes.  “If you’re not going to get breakfast, where are you going?”

                “To Chinatown.  Business.”

                Huntress arched an eyebrow at his town.  “You got a lead on our fugitive?”

                “More than that.”  Question paused at the door.  “I think I’ve got him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say--this is my second-favorite chapter in the whole story.


	15. Explication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith and Religion provide differing perspectives on the ninja's situation.

 

                The man dashed down the alleyway, panting, darting frenzied glances behind him.  A hungry chorus of yapping barks pursued him, the sound echoing off the high stone buildings on either side.  Dashing the sweat from his eyes, he continued to run, half-stumbling against garbage cans and random debris left from the tenants.

                Finally, inevitably, he came to a dead end.  The walls were shored off, the passageway had been blocked by a low brick wall.  Desperately he leapt for it, scrambled at the bricks, but it was _just_ too high, and the bricks _just_ too smooth.  The barking grew closer and closer as his bleeding fingers clutched at the stone.

                The man whirled as the dogs came around the corner—dogs of all sorts.  Pit bulls, rottweilers, chihuahuas, poodles.  They ranged in appearance from well-fed and groomed to ravenous and scraggly.  All had a hungry gleam in their eye.  Curiously, as they caught sight of the man, their pacing slowed, their barks turned to malicious growls, and they slowly circled him.

                Catching up a handy loose board, the man swung it about, screaming, “Keep back!  Get away you crazy mutts!  What… what on earth is this?  I was out jogging!”

                _The guilty must be punished for their crimes._

                The man’s head snapped up.  “Wha—wha?”

                _Vengeance must be had._

                There was a sudden disturbance in the pack and a feisty Pomeranian shouldered her way forward.  At the sight of her, the man let out an inarticulate cry and stepped forward.  “Marrel?”

                The Pomeranian wagged her tail.  Then she smiled with a mouth VERY full of teeth. 

                “Marrel?”  As if following the Pomeranian’s cue, the other dogs also smiled, beginning to advance on the man.  “Marrel?  MARREL!  NO!  GET BACK!”

                Screams echoed off the concrete, rebounding far down the alleyway as the dogs partook of their meal.  There was plenty for all.

                A few paces away, a tall pale man in a long green cloak surveyed the scene dispassionately.  His face beneath the hood was long, gaunt, and perfectly white, and his sunken eyes shone with a green fire.  Not a muscle on his face twitched.

                Suddenly his head tilted, as if listening to something far away.  Without turning, he lifted a hand and crooked a finger.  His cloak ruffled in an intangible wind, and suddenly another pale man stood before him, this one clad in a dilapidated circus costume.

                “Boston.”  The Spectre narrowed his eyes.  “What do you mean by trying to summon me in such a manner?  I do not take kindly to such matters.”

                “Not a summon.  Not a summon, I swear.”  Deadman spread his hands placatingly.  If it had been possible, the ghost would have been sweating.  “At least, not  a serious one.  I just needed a way to contact you and… well, it’s kinda hard to find a way, outside of those hedgepenny summoning things that everyone knows you hate.  Figured if I started one, you'd summon ME.”

                Spectre snorted, but he did lower his hand.  Relaxing visibly, Deadman glanced around to see exactly where they were.  “Minneapolis, hm?”  He studied the bloodied alleyway below.  “What’s the story behind this one?”

                “Richard Hentley.  Aged thirty-five.  Killed his wife two years ago for feeding his dog the wrong brand of dog food.”

                “Seriously?”  Deadman glanced down again.  “Dude, some people are messed.  So you tore him apart with dogs?  Boy, you really go for the ironic touch, don’t you?”

                Without even turning, Spectre responded.  “I exercise justice.  I mete out vengeance according to the Commission.  That is all.”

                “Says you.  I could swear you enjoy your job sometimes.”

                “Does this conversation have a point, Boston Brand?”  A hint of steel entered the angel’s voice.

                Boston paled (or would have, had his face not been white).  “Uh, right.  Point.  Um, well, I was talking with some of the other ghosts in the area and we… ah… well, see I was doing this job for the Justice Leaguers and I… Ah…"  Boston abruptly went on a different tack. "Who was that lady I saw you with at the restaurant?”

                “You KNOW who she is, Boston, you were following her.”

                “Right.”  Boston let out a nervous chuckle.  “Right.  I guess I was more asking… uh… what you were doing talking to her.  You know, as opposed to killing her in various clever and poetic ways.”

                Spectre turned to him, an eyebrow raised in almost amusement.  “And why should I do that?”

                “Well…  It’s what you usually do to humans.  And demons.  And ghosts, even, though technically we’re dead already.  And…”  Boston’s voice died away at the irritated look growing on Spectre’s face.  “Uh, right.  The point is, it doesn’t really seem like part of the whole ‘angel of vengeance’ schtick you’re usually on.”

                Spectre turned back and surveyed the city, apparently thinking over Deadman’s question.  “I am not merely the angel of vengeance, you realize.”  He said finally.  “I am also the angel of redemption.”

                “Uriel.  Yeah, I remember that from when I was alive, that’s what they all said about you.  But after I… uh, actually got to KNOW you, well… the whole ‘redemption’ part was sorta hard to see.”

                “It is always there.  It is just not the most evident part of my work.”  Spectre sighed.  “But yes, it was a part of my duties that I fear I… ignored for some time.   Or at least, did not take as much pride in.  Not like this.”  He gestured at the alleyway.  “My vengeance was always grandiose, my redemption quiet and unseen.  But the two exist contemporaneously, and cannot be separated.  I have always been as much about redemption as about justice.”

                “If you say so.”  Deadman had a slightly doubtful look on his face.  “But still.  What’s with the lady?”

                “Hyuuga Hinata?  She is an important instrument in the hands of the Almighty.”

                “Instrument?”

                “As we all are.  Both she and her friends will have much to do in the coming events, and it is vital they be prepared to face them.  The girl is my connection to them, so that I may warn and guide them through the trials they must face.”

                Deadman had a somewhat more pensive look on his face now.    “Okay.”  He said.  “Okay.  I think I get it.  But lemme ask you something.  What’s so important about all these guys?  What makes them so important to what’s coming?”

                “Because,” Spectre answered, turning back to the city, “they bear a power long lost to this world.”

 

 

* * *

 

                “Are you sure they’re all right?  I mean, it ain’t normal for them to go pussy-footing around each other all the time like what they’ve been doing.”  Cyborg stopped to consider a moment.  “Well, okay, I only known the guys a month, but it sure don’t SEEM normal.”

                “Of course it’s not normal for them.”  Robin did not turn from his position at the computer.  He and Cyborg were both sitting in the control room of the tower, doing their best to keep tabs on everyone, a task proving rather difficult at the moment.  “But think about it for a bit, Cyborg.  It’s only been a week since that whole crazy mess with the Yamanaka girl where everybody got yanked into everybody else’s mind.”

                “So?”

                “So?  Cyborg, they were instantly confronted with their teammates darkest fears, visions, and memories.  All of us were.  That’s bound to make them feel uncomfortable around each other.  Sure, the memories are a little hazy with everybody right now, but I imagine they’re more than enough to keep things awkward.”

                “I suppose.”  Cyborg gave an irritable shrug.  “Still.  All us Titans went through the same thing, and we’re not breaking up or nothing.”

                Robin cocked an eye at his mechanical friend.  “Cy, do you even remember the first few days after the incident?”

                “Well, we mighta had SOME issues.  But we got over those quick enough.”

                “That’s a difference in team structure.”  Turning back to the computer, Robin began to type in some commands, focusing the screen around a certain area.  “Our team is essentially like some kind of informal family—we all live, eat, and sleep together.  We handle each other’s problems, we deal with each other’s secrets… we’re pretty close to each other.”

                “Suppose that’s why you were quickest to recover, being super detective and all.  You probably knew half of the ‘dark secrets’ around this place already.”

                Robin shrugged.  “It helped.  But the point is, these ninjas aren’t like that.  Sure, most of them ARE friends, but it’s more a ‘battle comrade’ sort of thing.  Again, these guys are soldiers.  They’ve fought side by side through a lot, but because they HAD to, not necessarily because they wanted to.  In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of secrets in that group, and a couple of real tight-lipped introverts.  They trust each other, but they’re not necessarily as… close as we are.” 

                “So now that they got an idea of what the others are hiding, they’re scared of them.”  A chuckle broke loose from Cyborg.  “Never thought knowing your friends could be so scary, huh?”

                “It’s more than that.  Knowing so much about their friends also means that their friends know a lot about THEM.  They’re afraid what secrets of THEIRS might have gotten out.” Frowning suddenly, he added, “And it’s not just them, Cyborg.  Most of us Titans have been avoiding them as much as they’ve been avoiding us.”

                The reminder dampened Cyborg’s mood considerably.  “Yeah.”  He admitted soberly.  “But it’s not like we were really getting best buds with them BEFORE the whole thing.  If anything, I’d say I feel a lot more comfortable around Sai.”

                “Never thought to hear anyone say that,” snorted Robin.  “Still, that’s something to be thankful for.  You, Sai, and Hinata are about the only people who have an idea of what went on that night.  Well, J’onn too, I guess, but he’s not really part of the group.  The three of you have been largely keeping us from falling apart this week.  It’s a good thing criminals have been quiet recently, our teamwork lately has been horrible.  We need to re-establish some bonds with the ninjas and help them work their own issues out as soon as possible.”

                “That why you suggested Star take the girls to the mall today?”

                “Possibly.”

                “Slick man.  Very slick.  Inviting Raven may have been a stretch but still… nice.”

                Robin shrugged.  “Shopping is a near-universal expression of girl-hood.  I don’t understand it, but I can use it.  Raven could stand some team-building, and both her and Star going makes it a bond between teams more than just a bond between individuals.  That’s why I had all the ninja girls go also.”

                There was a slight pause.  “All of them?”

                “Yes…”  Robin half-turned.  He had a bad feeling about this.  “Why do you ask?”

                “Well… I can’t locate the Hinata one anywhere.”

                Robin sighed and leaned back in his chair, massaging his forehead.  “Now why doesn’t that surprise me.”

              

* * *

 

 

 _1 st Presbyterian Assembly of Jump City_ read the sign outside the building, and Hinata had to suppose that’s what the building was for.  It looked rather different than any of the temples or shrines she had visited when she was a little girl, but she had expected that.  In any case, it was certainly the same building she’d seen in the vision last night, so it must be the one she was expected to visit.

Gingerly she approached the doors.  The small, squat building certainly did not seem to get much attention.  The brick walls looked solid enough, but the white paint of the doors was flaking, and Hinata could have sworn that the steeple was leaning slightly.  The burglar bars over the stained-glass windows also seemed a trifle disturbing.

But still.  Building from the vision.  She had to go in.

Strangely enough, the door creaked open the moment she put her hand on it.  She glanced again at the burglar bars, shrugged, and went right in.  Inside, she found herself in a small anteroom of some kind, ringed with coat hangers.  Just beyond, there was a pair of simple white panel doors, which she pushed her way through to the wide room beyond.  Metallic folding chairs filled a long anteroom, facing a simple microphone at the end.  Streaks of sunlight streamed in the bar-darkened windows on either side.

At the moment, though, Hinata’s attention was fixated on the elderly man setting up chairs near the front.  He had paused when the doors had opened and now turned toward them.

“I’m afraid services aren’t until tomorrow, young lady.”  He said, fumbling for something in his coat.  “Sorry, my eyesight isn’t good without my glasses—is there something you need?”

“I… ah…”  Hinata glanced around hastily.  “I… I’m not sure, I was… Someone told me to come here… I don’t really know why, I…”

The old man frowned as he brought out a pair of glasses.  “Your voice sounds familiar somehow,” said he, putting them to his face.  “Are you perchance…  Ah…”  He smiled.  “Hyuuga Hinata.  Of course.  I suppose that’s why he’s here also.  Odd place to meet.”

With the glasses now in place, something about the old man finally clicked in Hinata’s mind.  “You’re...”

“Ah.  Reverend Norman McCay of the 1st Presbyterian Assembly.  How do you do?”  He took her hand and shook it distractedly.  “Sorry for not introducing myself earlier.  Don’t mind me, I’m just setting up in here.  You’re here to see James, I take it?”

“Er… I don’t really know… I’m not sure what…”

“Yes, James can be like that.”  He agreed, nodding with a little sigh.  “Still.  Even if you’re not here to talk to him, I imagine he’ll want to talk to you.  This way.  I believe he’s in my office.”

Leading the way, the minister made for a small door in the rear that Hinata hadn’t noticed before.  He gave a few experimental taps on the door, then swung it open.  “James.”  He said briskly, “You have a visitor.”

A familiar red-haired figure in a green trenchcoat turned to face her.  “Yes.”  He said.  “I summoned her here.”

“Y-you summoned me?” asked Hinata, fighting back a swallow.

“I have been told my visions are disturbing, but I needed to see you quickly.”  Spectre stood to his feet and strode forward.  “You see, I must explain exactly why your assistance is so important.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Thanks for coming up to assist, Bats.”  Mr. Terrific did not remove his eyes from the screen.  “When it comes to interdimensional gateways, you’re the expert.  And this job really gives me the feeling I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

Batman simply gave a nod as he entered the room.  “Things have quieted down in Gotham for a bit, this seemed like the best way to help.”  He cocked an eyebrow at Blue Devil, who leaned against the opposite wall.  “What’s he doing here?”

“Since he picked up on the difference in the Hyuuga girl, I’m getting the feeling that he might know more about this ‘chakra’ business,” explained Terrific.  “Whatever help I can get in this is welcome.”

“Indeed.”  Batman glanced through the glass.  “An organic portal… quite the original idea, Mr. Terrific.”

“More accurately, an organic projector, similar in design to Superman’s Phantom Zone device.”  Terrific nodded.  “Incredibly difficult, given Superman is reluctant to let anyone examine his device, and Kryptonian technology is ages ahead of our own.”

“Nor is it particularly organic.  Why are you taking this approach?  It doesn’t seem very efficient.”

“Given that the ninjas teleportation seems to have occurred via an organic ‘technique,’ it also seemed to be the most likely to match their dimensional signature.  And organic technology is no longer so elusive as it was.”  A distant smile crept across his face.  “The Imperium invasion did almost more good than harm, really.”

“Hm.  It still seems likely to take a while.”  Batman turned to face the scientist.  “Very well.  What’s the largest problem?”

Mr. Terrific glanced up at him.  “At the moment?  The power source.  It’s difficult, to say the least to find something to power like this, and even if you could, the power might make a great difference in where the portal opened up.”

“So properly use this device…”

“…I’ll need to power it with their ‘chakra.’”  Terrific turned and aimed a wry smile at the caped hero.  “You see the problem.” 

 

* * *

 

                “Seriously, dude?  What’s with the dinky knife?”

                “It is called a kunai.”

                “Kunai, then.”  The black girl waved, clearly uninterested in the distinction.  “But honestly.  How is it that the only weapon you’re carrying is a little dagger-thing like that?”

                Shino considered for a moment whether this discussion was worth continuing.  Something about this flying girl really got on his nerves.  “A throwing knife such as a kunai is very helpful for long-range attack, and also for unpowered short range maneuvers.  It can be used to stab, slash or block.”

                “Not arguing with that.”  The girl shrugged.  “But it kinda stinks at all three, if you ask me.  It’s not really long enough to penetrate well, you need to get unearthly close just to slash with it, and as for blocking…” she made a face.  “…the thing doesn’t even have a hilt!  It’s got to be one of the crappiest blocking weapons I’ve ever seen.”

                “Bumblebee,”  Aqualad called from his side of the building.  “That’s enough.”

                _Bumblebee_.  Perhaps that was the reason for his dislike of the girl.  Neither he nor his allies were particularly fond of bees.  Then again, her abrasive, confrontational manner did not help things easier.  She had been offensive enough on his first visit here, but this…  time had not improved matters.

                Fortunately Shino’s role in this mission so far had been minimal.  Robin had sent Kiba, Beast Boy, and he to track down a possible lead on Kid Flash—a reported sonic boom in Los Angeles.  Kiba had picked up the boy’s scent quickly enough, thanks to a piece of clothing submitted by a rather peculiar magenta-haired girl.  They had followed the trail to the waterfront, and finally to these docks.

                There Shino’s luck had ended, along with the team’s.  There were no clues, no trails, and no scents for them to steer by.  Robin had suggested they look up the manifests of ships that had docked within the target week, but largely the time had come for theorization.

                Which meant he had to provide the voice of logic against the harebrained schemes this ‘Bumblebee’ girl was proposing.

                “It just seems that you should carry more weapons.”  She was back.

                “Bumblebee…!”

                “We ARE our own weapons.  Each and every one of us contains an entire arsenal of techniques for short and long-range combat that render civilian or mercenary weapons automatically obsolete.”  Smiling thinly, Shino added, “Kunai are useful only used as a weapon of last resort.” 

                The girl snorted.  “I can see that.  Certainly don’t seem to be good for much else.  If you’re on your last legs, shouldn’t you have something more useful?”

                “A weapon,” said Shino, doing his best to remain calm, “is only as useful as the person who wields it.  I note you yourself carry only two small offensive weapons, ill-suited to stabbing or slashing.”

                Her face darkened considerably.  “At least they can block.  AND shoot lasers.”

                “Will you two cut it out?”  Finally cutting in, Aqualad shot both of them an irate glance.  “This whole thing is getting us nowhere.  Now, as I recall, we were discussing different ways Kid Flash might have got himself caught here.”

                “No chance.”  Bumblebee shook her head.

                This time Shino could not totally repress himself.  He snorted.  “You believe your compatriot incapable of failure?”

                “Heh.  On the contrary, failure is what he does best.  But he always pulls out of it, he comes back constantly.  At his speed, failures are just speed bumps, he can get over them.  It takes one really BIG screw up to take him down.”  She cocked an eye toward a surprisingly silent Kiba.  “You said there was a big fight here, right?”

                “From the smell of the place.”  Kiba nodded shortly.  “They’re at least a month old, but his scent is all over the place.  A bunch of others too…”

                “…could be simply dockhands,” suggested Beast Boy.

                “…and smoke.   A lot of smoke and fire.”

                “Odd, and rather suspicious, given that there is no sign of a fire, or even a report of one in the city’s fire department.”  Shino frowned.

                “Geez, kid, you can really smell all that?  From a month ago?”

                An insulted eyebrow cocked upwards on Kiba’s face.  “If you’re implying…”

                “No, if you say those’re your powers, I buy it.”  Bumblebee held up her hands placatingly.  “I mean, it’s a bit too incredible for someone to make up, so you’re probably on the level, but… seriously?  All that?”

                “This Kid Flash guy was all over the place.  And there were a lot of fires.”

                “Which like Shino said, is odd, because there were no reports.”  Aqualad glanced around.  “Maybe Kid Flash was trying to put them out and got caught then?”

                But Bumblebee was shaking her head.  “Not if he knew the bad guys were there.  See, that’s my point.  You can maybe catch Kid Flash… IF you can get him off guard.  And then you need to hit hard.  If he was in a long, drawn-out fight, there’s no way he could’ve lost.  At the very least he should have been able to high-tail it out once he realized he was losing.”

                “Kid Flash NEVER thinks he’s losing.”

                Bumblebee shrugged.  “He isn’t, usually.”

                “But apparently he did.”  Shino returned to the conversation.  “Aqualad’s allies cannot recall anyone speeding over the water here at the specified time, and Kiba says this is where the trail ends.  He must have either boarded a ship or one of your flying machines, neither of which he possessed, so he must have been forced onto one.”

                “Yeah… bad news about that.”  Beast Boy snapped his communicator shut.  “Robin and Cyborg checked and… there were no ships leaving that night, and no reported aircraft in this area.” 

                For a moment everyone just gaped at him.  “So you’re telling me that although Kid Flash WAS here, and now ISN’T here, there is no possible way he could have LEFT here?”  Aqualad looked about ready to cry.

                Beast Boy shrugged. “That’s… kinda what they said, yeah.”

                Shino narrowed his eyes.  Something about this seemed strangely familiar.  What was it?

                “Wait a second.”  That was the Bumblebee’s voice, but he was just barely paying attention to it.  “You guys were doing that… that… shit-and-shun thing earlier…”

                “ _Shunshin_.”  Shino’s mind was elsewhere.  One of his allies was telling him something… Something about a familiar energy signature.

                “Yeah, that.  It’s like teleportation, right?  Could someone have done something like that?”

                “Not really.”  Kiba shook his head.  “You need chakra, and we’re the only ones who have it.  We hadn’t even arrived here when Kid Flash disappeared.”

                “But someone could still have done a teleportation couldn’t they?”  Bumblebee pressed on.

                “Yes.”  Shino answered, studying a beetle on the end of his finger.  “Yes, they could have.  And I think they may have done it before.”  Running through all the facts, he drew his conclusion and faced up to it.  “I think,” he said, standing to his feet, “that we may need to contact your earth’s Justice League.”

                “The League?”  Aqualad looked rather skeptical.  “Why?”

                “Because I have reason to believe that Luthor is responsible for your friend’s disappearance.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “There is something you must understand about worlds.”  Hinata could NOT look away from the man’s eyes.  “They are all, in one way or another, similar.  There is no such thing as a truly alienated world, a purely solitary world.  They are all alike on some level.”

                “Like what?”

                “Well, for one, they are all infallibly depraved,” snorted the angel.  “But that is my affair, not yours.  The point is that this world is actually not all that different from your own, despite appearances.  You could hardly have traveled here had that not been the case.  Your friends are, in many ways, quite similar to the people of this one.  Some have the same powers, others are similar in personality, a few even share similar goals.  And, of course, in simple terms of being, they are all human.”  He frowned a moment.  “Or Kryptonian.  Or Martian.  Or Thanagarian.”  He shook it off.  “Still, in terms of their souls, they are all very like you.”

                “W-well… yes.  B-but why is that… important?”  Most of what the man was saying seemed fairly obvious.

                “It is important to make the point to you that separated worlds are not so separate after all.  They are connected, linked, what happens in one may affect the other.  Events from your world came to affect this world.  And, conversely, events from this world have had and shall have a profound effect on yours.  Your two separate universes cannot remain separate for forever, they have too much in common.”

                Pausing for a moment, the angel’s eyes took on a somewhat more distant expression.  “In the beginning, your world and this had a great deal more in common.  The great Sundering had yet to occur, and the reflections were clearer, less twisted.  The people of both lived in better communion, the plan for both was much clearer, and both throbbed with the same natural energy.”

                “Do you mean chakra?”

                “No.  I mean something else entirely.  But chakra is nonetheless crucial to what I have to say, because it is closely connected to the reason of why you came here.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 “So you need to use this chakra of theirs.”

“Problematic, to say the least, given that we know nothing of it.  I’ve been studying the prisoner we have in custody—Suigetsu, he calls himself.  Chakra flows through their body in a network, almost like a circulatory system.  Apparently, the network is able to split atoms and reform them at will—much like a nuclear reaction, but without the explosion.”

                “It stabilizes them?”

                “Apparently.”

                “So… these kids have apparently the ability to shape matter and energy as they choose.”

                “Essentially.  So far as I can tell, with enough energy they can create almost anything.  They can even manipulate the energy itself and apply it to…”

                “I know what their different abilities are.”  Batman cut him off.  “And I see how your explanation fits in.  But how do they do that?  That sort of stuff shouldn’t even be possible, theoretically.”

                “Exactly.  Theoretically, it shouldn’t be possible, and yet it’s happening.”  A wry grin crossed Terrific’s face.  “Which means on some level, the theory is faulty, but we don’t have time for that.  We need to know how they manipulate and use this energy, or better, how to reproduce it.”

                “But the only ones who would know that is the ninjas themselves.”

From his corner, Blue Devil gave a sudden gruff chuckle.  “I doubt they’d tell _you_ …”

“Indeed.”  Batman gave no indication of being affected by Devil’s outburst.  “So it seems we will need to rely on what data we have managed to glean from outside observation.  What have you got, Terrific?”

                A few clicks, and a series of images, charts, and reports filled the screen.  “My own observations on the Suigetsu prisoner, an analysis of the battle with Superman, the results from my preliminary check of the ninjas, and theories about various facts that the ninjas let slip.”

                “Enough to work with.”  Batman nodded.  “I have a few things of my own, let’s compare notes.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Now let us go and visit the rooms of dressing!”

“Aw, c’mon, pig-chan, you heard her!”  Sakura practically pulled her blonde friend toward the doorway.  “You totally need to try on those jeans, they go great with your eyes!  And the jacket is SO you.”

For a former shopaholic, Ino seemed strangely nervous.  “I’ll… I’ll try on one Fore-head, but then can we leave?”

Sakura blinked.  “What?”

“There’s an awful lot of people here…”  Ino glanced nervously over her shoulder.

“Oh.  Right.”  Sakura’s manner changed instantly.  “Well… yeah.  We should probably grab lunch soon anyway.  Star!”  She called to the closing door.  “Do you know a place around here to eat?”

“Most assuredly, friend Sakura!”  The Tamaranian’s voice floated over the doorway.  “There is a cafeteria just outside where we may partake of pizza with the sauce!  Friend Robin enjoys it most profoundly, as does friend Raven!”

“I never said that.”  Glancing up from the bench, Raven shot a hard glare at the door.  “I said I didn’t hate it.”

Sakura shrugged.  “Okay, sounds good.  We’ll go there right after this, then.”

“Sure we will.”  Raven rolled her eyes.

“We will, I swear!” cried Sakura, holding up a hand in pledge.  “Just these last thirteen outfits, and then we’re done!”  She disappeared into her own room and hastily banged the door shut behind her.

“Oh, is that all?  What was I worried about then?”  Raven picked up her book and resumed reading.

“Friend Raven, do you not also wish to do the dressing up?”

“Fine like this.”  Raven grunted.

“Seriously, girl, you should buy SOMETHING besides that.  I mean, the hooded sweatshirt fits your ‘cloaked mysteriousness’ vibe, but you need to try at least ONE other thing.”

“She’s right.”  Ino’s voice now floated into the conversation.  “You really should have tried on some of those khakis we found back there, they would have…”

“I’m.  Fine.”  Raven sighed.  “I only bought the sweatshirt and jeans so that you people didn’t have to keep up the henge versions you made.”  She glanced down at herself and studied the muted grey jacket.  A twitch of a smile edged up her face but she ruthlessly repressed it.  “Bad enough you gave Starfire the tanktop and shorts, I didn’t need you guys hiding my costume all day.”

“By the way, that’s been bugging me,” called out Sakura.  “Why do, like, none of you guys have any… normal clothes?  I could swear that if I opened up, say, Robin’s closet, I’d just find a whole bunch of identical uniforms.  What do you guys wear when you go out on the town?”

“Just our uniforms.”  Raven shrugged.  “People here are kinda used to us.  The attention IS annoying, so this is better that way, but it seems an annoying way to handle it.”

“AH!  I look fabulous in this!”  Ino’s voice rose in exaltation.  “Let me see how it looks with the jacket.”

Shaking her head, Raven could not suppress a snort.  “Why are all you people so obsessed with clothing anyway?  Aren’t you ninjas?”

“What’s that got to do with it?”  Sakura’s voice took on a dangerous edge.

“Ninjas are supposed to wear black all the time.”

“How morbid.”  Raven could practically hear Sakura’s nose wrinkling.  “Whatever do they do that for?”

Raven shrugged.  “Helps them blend in with the surroundings.”

“That can’t work all the time.  What do they do in the day?”

Stopping to think for a moment, Raven had to admit, “They… probably wear normal clothes for disguise.”  Actually, now that she thought about it, Raven remembered Robin saying something about ninjas NORMALLY wearing civilian clothes to blend in.  The ‘black bathrobe costume’ (as he called it), was at least partially a carryover from Japanese theater, where the garments represented invisibility.

“See?  So we’re not so loony as you think.”  Now triumphant, Sakura’s voice floated over the door.  “Hear that Ino?  Shopping for clothes is good for fashion AND disguise!”

“Should count as training.”

Raven sighed and gave it up.  All the others were having a good time, who was she to spoil it by being reasonable?  Starfire hadn’t had a shopping trip in ages, and the Konoha girls obviously loved it, though that Hyuuga…

Raven glanced around.  “Hey.  Where’d Hinata run off to?’

There was a slight pause.  “Ummm…  Isn’t she out there?”

“I think she… she was with us when we were looking at the jackets.”  Ino supplied.

“Perhaps friend Hinata is still browsing in the department of jewels,” suggested Starfire helpfully.  “I think she said something about wanting to stay for the few moments to look at them.”

“The Jewelry department?  We were there nearly an hour or so ago, she can’t still be there.  OH!  Sakura, those earrings we saw would go PERFECT with this mahogany belt.”

“Ohhhhh I’ll bet you’re right.  Let’s go right there after this.”

“I thought we were going to get lunch.”  Raven reminded tactfully.

“Darn!  That’s right.  Okay, food first, then jewelry.”

“We’ll have to eat fast, though.  And we’ll need to find Hinata first, so she can come to lunch with us.”  Ino’s voice took on a somewhat more troubled tone.  “Though that may take a while…”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.  I’ll call up Robin and have him tell her.”  Rolling her eyes, Raven took out her communicator.  “She can meet us to eat.  Maybe then we’ll have some sensible conversation.” She added under her breath.

 

* * *

 

 

“Already you have noticed some strange things about chakra here.”  The man offered a sudden smirk.  “Things, indeed, that you should not have noticed had you never arrived.  You know, for example, that it is not necessarily found in all things.  You have noticed that it is not as easy to manipulate substances from other worlds.  And you have found that it is not essential to war.  However, the most important things you have learned have been the similarities.  Your Byakugan sees chakra, does it not?  What has it seen?”

Hinata struggled to think for a moment.  “Th-the strange man at the hospital—all lit up inside.  And me, that… thing you did to me.  I can see that.”

“Very good,” nodded the man.  “Now think.  What does my power share with that of the blue devil?”  At her blank look he sighed.  “Forgive me.  An unfair question, you still do not know enough to answer such a question.  Both he and I are spiritual creatures.  So is the ghost you saw.  Had you been using your Byakugan and had he been incarnate, he too would have been lit up with the strange energy you saw.  The girl Raven, also, has a draw upon this energy.”

 “Tell me,” continued he, apparently changing subjects.  “The boy Naruto—“ Hinata gave an involuntary start, “—carries a demon within him.  But you have observed, have you not, that this chakra is different from others.  Have you ever wondered why that is?”

                Again Hinata struggled for an answer.  “It’s… it’s because it’s the Kyuubi’s energy…”

                “True.  But chakra is chakra, an impersonal energy source.  Why should it look different than any other?”

                Hinata had no reply.

                “Because chakra is NOT an impersonal energy source.  And because Naruto’s energy does not contain merely chakra.”

                “Y-yes.”  Hinata grasped eagerly at the straw of understanding.  “I-it has the will… the will of the Kyuubi within it.  Na-Naruto-kun can’t access the chakra without releasing the will.  Because… because chakra isn’t only physical power, it’s…”  Slowly comprehension dawned across her face.

 “Exactly.”  The man nodded.  “The ‘combination of physical and spiritual energy,’ is that not what your people say?  In reality, what they behold is spiritual energy incarnate in physical form.  Thus you see Blue Devil, a spiritual creature incarnate.  Thus, too, you cannot behold the ghost with an ordinary Byakugan, because he is not physical.  Even with your Byakugan, you would not be able to see me unless I was incarnate, as I am now.  Do not try!”  He barked as Hinata’s hands rose automatically up.  “You would be blinded.  My power is far, far greater than any you have ever seen.”

“Y-yes sir.”  Hinata lowered her hands.  “B-but…  the stuff I see in you and the others… that’s not chakra.”  Hinata stated, then hesitated.  “…is it?”

“No.  It is not.”  The man smiled.  “Chakra is only a portion of true spiritual power, a divided, weakened form of the energy I and the other’s possess.  Thus it is fuller, more colorful, and less restricted than your normal chakra pathways.  In your world, the nearest counterpart would be demonic chakra, such as Naruto’s.”

“W-why is that?”

 “Well, to begin with, it is more than chakra, it is also intent.  But mostly, Kyuubi’s chakra is different from those of most because of its source.  When the one you call Rikudo Sennin defeated the Juubi…”

                “You know of Rikudo Sennin?”  Hinata gasped.

                The man gazed at her unblinking.  “Rikudo Sennin is known by many names on many worlds.  On this world, as on yours, he freed its inhabitants from a great slavery.  But, as on yours, the inhabitants did not want freedom.”

                “Not…”  Hinata tried to understand.  “What do you mean?”

                “Rikudo could not banish the Juubi completely because the people did not want him to.  They desired the Juubi’s power, and some even yearned for the comfort of its illusion.  Unable to banish it, Rikudo Sennin instead split it up into several demons, as you know.  What you see inside Naruto is a portion of the Juubi’s spiritual energy.  Other portions of it can be found in the other tailed demons or in certain members of the demonic bloodline, such as the Uchiha.”

                Hinata’s mind was reeling.  This was really more than she wanted to take on in one day.  “B-but… if Naruto’s chakra is a portion of Juubi… then what… where’s normal chakra from? ”

“What you see inside yourself…”  Spectre inclined his head slightly, “is the gift of Rikudo Sennin.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “A combination of physical and spiritual energy…”  There was just the faintest sign of distaste on Mr. Terrific’s face.  “So they don’t quite know themselves.”

                “Or at least they know that it is related to, though not dependent on, the person’s physical strength.  The spiritual could simply be related to the will of the person.”  Batman tapped a few keys on the computer and brought up the transcript of the initial meeting.  “Remember, this was during our first cordial meetings with the ninjas.  They might have been coloring the facts slightly.”

                Mr. Terrific considered it for a moment.  “Or simply be a way of expressing how the person is able to _use_ and manipulate the ATP energy.  As in, the ability to employ an already latent power.  Power’s no good if you can’t use it, after all.   Otherwise, perhaps the process is caused by a undetectable psychic influence, which they consider the spiritual aspect.”

                “Possible.  J’onn managed to confirm that the blonde girl is a psychic of some kind.”  Batman mused.  “And that Sai seemed to have some blocking ability.  But from their comments, not everyone on their planet can use chakra, so not all of them would have that energy.  How would that psychic energy get there?”

                “Genetics, I imagine.  Perhaps the death of a very powerful psychic, an alien of some kind, could imprint the power on into their genetics somehow, say on a quantum level, allowing them to…”

                “For pity’s sake, Terrific!”  Blue Devil growled.  “Your ‘Quantum Level psychic energies’ mean essentially the same thing as their ‘spiritual energy.’  It means you don’t know what causes it.”

                Terrific closed his eyes momentarily.  “Yes and no.  Yes, I don’t know what causes it.  No, it doesn’t mean the same thing.  ‘Psychic energies’ are a delineated natural set of abilities that CAN be studied and explained.  ‘Spiritual energy’ means essentially nothing except that it cannot be understood.  Basically, I’m saying that we CAN understand where their power comes from, as opposed to merely giving it a nice label and walking away from it.” 

                “You can tell where it comes from.”  Blue Devil muttered, but otherwise subsided.

                “Anyway, quantum level mechanics are outside our workable range.”  Terrific shook his head, considering.  “And if they DO have psychic signatures, nobody would be able to observe it closely enough to find out how it works, since apparently even J’onn can’t work with it.  Essentially then, the ‘spiritual’ aspect of their power is irrelevant to our projector device.”

                “Focusing on the physical aspect, then—“ Batman quirked an eyebrow, “—have you done anything with those mitochondriac structures you noted earlier?”

                “I’ve managed to engineer a few models, and the projector model has them incorporated.”  Mr. Terrific nodded.

                “Good.”  Batman returned his gaze to the computer.  “Conceivably, that’s what processes all the ATP energy.  Now we just need to give it material to work from.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Naruto often felt afraid.  Not many people knew this, as he kept it firmly hidden, but it was still true.  Mizuki-sensei’s betrayal had badly frightened him.  He’d been utterly terrified throughout the battle with Zabuza.  The written part of the chunin exam had nearly killed him.  Orochimaru’s appearance… well, that had REALLY nearly killed him.  Even going up against Neji had had him scared for a while.

                He’d shrugged it off as a child, figuring that it would change as he would get older.  But it hadn’t.  In Naruto’s mind, the only thing more terrifying than the Gaara rescue mission had been his battle with Pain.  No… he could think of one thing more.  But he tried not to think about… that too much.

                Strangely enough, none of his battles with Sasuke had EVER scared him. 

That was because Naruto was never really afraid of the thing most people expected—that is, the battle itself.  Zabuza hadn’t scared him, Sasuke had, because Sasuke had nearly died.  The written exam had been frightening because of its effect on his teammates.  When he’d rescued Gaara, he hadn’t been afraid of Deidara, just afraid of what he’d done to Gaara.  No part of the battle with Pain had been nearly as frightening as when Hinata had jumped in.

                Of course, Naruto felt plenty of fear about dying too—he had rather vivid memories of Ero-sensei throwing him down a massive pit when he was twelve—but he was usually able to shrug past that.  It was always hard to figure out what exactly _could_ and _couldn’t_ kill you when you had a demon fox in your belly.  Still, the pain didn’t go away, and for all his bravado, Naruto was afraid of pain too.

                But Naruto had never let his fears stop him from doing anything. 

Which was why he was now moving, step after terrified step, down the hallway at a horribly brisk pace, seeking out Robin to help him do something he was deathly afraid of doing. 

He’d gone to the control room earlier to use one of the machines there.  As he had no idea how to work any of the things, he’d had to ask help from the only other person there, Cyborg.  Unfortunately, as jovial as Cyborg was, he had been rather adamant about needing Robin’s permission to help out with Naruto’s problem.  Why Robin had decided to hang out in the infirmary today instead of the control room, Naruto didn’t know.   It was terribly inconvenient, as he felt pretty sure they’d need to use the control room

Naruto rounded the corner to a rather unusual sight.  Covered in bandages, a somewhat disheveled Robin was tying a sizeable ice pack over one eye.  His other glanced irritably up at Naruto.  “How heavy are those weights on Lee’s legs?”

“Uh…”  Naruto blinked at the unexpected question.  “I dunno… he’s adding to them all the time.  Four hundred pounds, maybe?”

Robin yanked open a cupboard and began to dig about.  “What on EARTH does he put in them?  Radioactive isotopes?”

“Radio… I’m sorry, what?”

“Nothing.”  Robin sighed.  “Forget it.  I’m going to have to hand him over to a new trainer, I can’t teach him how to use that speed effectively.  Still.  At least he knows how to use a bo staff now.”  Grinning a little, Robin downed a few pills.  “Pretty good at it, too.  I’ll have to show him that one Bruce Lee  movie where…”

Naruto arched an eyebrow.  “Wait… you didn’t try to fight Lee without his weights, did you?”

Sighing, Robin rubbed a hand over his face and glanced up.  “Cyborg said you had a question.”  He answered.  “So ask.”

“Ah.”  Briefly Naruto wondered why Cyborg hadn’t just asked it himself.  “Um… have you seen Hinata?”

“Has anyone?”  Robin chuckled without humor.  “Not since this morning.  I sent her off with the other girls to the mall.”

“Oh!”  That had been surprisingly easy.  He turned to go.  “Thanks!”

“She’s not with them anymore, though.”  Robin’s voice stopped him.  “As a matter of fact, I’m not sure WHERE she is.  She hasn’t shown up anywhere on the location grid, and even looking at time records doesn’t do anything.  She just… vanished from the mall.”

“What?  You mean even those little bug-trackie thingies you’ve got on all of us can’t find her?”

Robin stopped and looked at him strangely.  “How do you know about those?”

“Shino found the one on him.”  Naruto shrugged.  “I just figured you’d put them on everyone.”

“Hm.”  Robin’s face was unreadable.  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Again Naruto shrugged.  “It’s pretty reasonable for you to keep tabs on us while we’re here.  We usually have ANBU tail foreigners in Konoha, so it’s the same principle.  Plus, if we did want to ditch you, it would be better if you didn’t know that we knew.”

“Except now I DO know, because you just told me.”

“Maybe I didn’t tell you everything.”

Robin’s mouth quirked.  “You’re smarter than you look, Naruto.”  He turned and began to feel about in the cupboard some more.

“Thanks?  I guess?”  Naruto frowned at Robin’s back. 

“You’re welcome.”  Carrying a fresh load of medication, Robin turned and sat down.  “Maybe you leading the others isn’t such a bad thing after all.”

“What?”

“Forget it.”  Robin waved.  “Go out and find your girlfriend.  Talk to Neji, he should be able to spot her if she’s still in town.”

“No, hang on.  What did you mean: ‘isn’t such a bad thing after all?’  Are you…”  About this time Naruto’s brain caught up to the other part of Robin’s sentence.  “Wait.  Girlfriend?”

“I said to forget it.  It’s not my business anyway.”

“It’s mine.”  Naruto glared at the bandaged teen.  “What do you mean?”

Robin studied him for a moment.  “You really want to get into this?”

“Heck yeah!  If someone thinks I’m a bad leader I wanna know why!”

“It’s not about you being a bad leader,” sighed Robin.  “It’s about you not being a leader at all.”

Naruto blinked.  “What?”

“Naruto, you don’t lead.  You inspire, you motivate, but you don’t actually lead.  You basically let them do whatever they want and figure it’s not your problem.”  Robin made a little gesture with one hand.  “You don’t really provide them with directions or orders, you just do your own thing and let them do theirs.”

“So?  Isn’t it good to let them make their own decisions?”

“Not to that extent.  A team is supposed to work together, they don’t just all do whatever they feel like.  A leader is supposed to provide the direction and impetus the team needs.  He’s one who brings the team together, who connects them into a single cohesive unit so that they can function well.  And Naruto?  You suck at teamwork.”

Naruto opened his mouth to argue but Robin cut him off.  “No.  You do.  I’ve seen you on patrol.  Your strategy consists of _charge it by myself and get the others to stay back_.  You insist on being left alone and you refuse to use ANY of your teammates talents, even when they would be helpful.” Keeping his glare firmly fixed on Naruto, Robin added.  “Remember that patrol two weeks ago?  I had you monitoring it from the CONTROL ROOM and you still told the team to stay out of it so you could charge out there.  If I didn’t know better I’d say you were grandstanding.”

Naruto’s eyes had just a touch of red.  “That’s not it.  They’re my team, I’m responsible for their safety, I can’t just…”

“Of course you can’t.”  With a slight bend of his head, Robin acknowledged the remark.  “That’s part of leading too, you’re right, and it’s good you know it.  But you take it too far.  You need to realize what your teammates can do better than you and LET THEM DO IT.  You need to give your comrades room to grow, allow them to face challenges.  Otherwise you’ll just end up isolating them and before you know it, they’ll be off on their own doing something crazy just to prove to you they CAN.”

Naruto fell silent at that.  His mind was running through images of a rain-slicked wood, filled with bodies and a red-eyed shinobi.  _They’re not dead, you realize…_

                There was an awkward silence.  “Well,” said Robin, finally pulling himself to his feet.  “You asked.  I’m going to go outside and just rest for a while, I don’t think I’ll be up to any more spars today.”

                “You’re sure you don’t know where Hinata is?”

                “I’m sure.”

                “Well, I kinda need to talk to her… do you know how I could find her?”

                Robin gave a dry snort as he pushed past into the hallway.  “I’m not ordering you around… work it out for yourself.”

                Glaring at Robin’s retreating back, Naruto resisted the childlike urge to stick his tongue out.  _He’s just stupid sulking because he can’t beat Lee._   He thought.  _Fighting him without his weights… HA!  That would have been fun to watch._

                Shaking away the ungrateful thoughts, Naruto considered a moment before settling down on the ground.  Slowly he blocked out all outside disturbances, reached out with his chakra…

                “AAAH!”  Naruto started upright, clutching his head.  “Oh my… oh my…”  Somewhat dizzily, he felt himself, touching his arms, legs, chest.  “Oh what a…”  He let out a deep breath.  “What on earth was THAT?”

 

 

* * *

 

               

                “First, you must understand that Rikudo Sennin was enormously powerful, even before he consumed the Juubi.  My power would merely blind you if you beheld my true form, his would assuredly kill you unless he desired otherwise.”

                Hinata inclined her head.  She had more or less assumed Rikudo Sennin

                “For all his power, however, Rikudo Sennin was unable to completely banish the Juubi, as it had been invited there,” explained  the man with a small shrug.  “As you mentioned, he split the Juubi into the Bijuu to weaken it, but he did more yet.  He gave your people the means to resist them by themselves.  The legends tell you, do they not, that Rikudo Sennin taught the world the ways of ninjutsu?  How to manipulate chakra, how to use the handseals, how to perform jutsus?  What they do not say—because they do not know—is that there was no way to do these things before, because before Rikudo Sennin, there was no chakra.”

                “Wh-what?”

                “Not chakra as you know it.  As I said before, both Earth and your world shared a similar natural vitality in the early days, an energy that could be found in all things living and unliving.  This could indeed be used to perform strange feats, such as those here might call simply magic.  Yet when your people invited in the Juubi, he consumed this power and glutted on it, sapping the life from your planet.  When Rikudo Sennin defeated the Juubi, he rescued a broken, dying world.  But he restored it nonetheless, by taking the Juubi’s energy and forming chakra.” 

The man smiled at her.  “Evil cannot be made as if it had never been, and what is done can seldom be undone.  Chakra was an echo, and only an echo, of the power your world and this once possessed.  But it was enough for what the Sennin desired.  It gave your people the power to repel the segmented parts of the Juubi, and perhaps even the full creature itself.  Also too, by planting this power in not only humans but the world around them, Rikudo Sennin hoped it might provide people with a subtle connection to each other and to the world around them.”

“The natural color of chakra, which you see within yourself, is the result of his work.  It was given to the ninjas not to be used as a weapon against each other, but against the Juubi.  Certain bloodlines on your world possess an even more special strain of chakra, specifically designed against the Bijuu.”

“What bloodline?”  Hinata frowned.  She had never heard of such a clan before.

“I believe they were called the Uzumakis.  Your friend is the last, but that is a talk for another time.  The point you must understand NOW is that chakra was designed to repel certain influences.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “You know…”  Mr. Terrific was frowning.  “…if the power is psychic, these kids might have a inherent defense against mind control.”

                “Against our forms, perhaps.”  Batman shrugged.  “In their own world, there’s only one form of mind control, and it’s nearly impossible to block—that Yamanaka girl’s ability.”

“None others?”

“They have techniques for manipulating the chakra in the brain.  But all that can do is create illusions.  Occasionally that can be used to control or interrogate others.  They need special methods to break free of something like that, though.”

                Blue Devil arched an eyebrow.  “Such as?”

                “They can either suppress their chakra or force it outward.  Either will destroy the illusion.  The former is preferred, as it is more discreet, but the latter is easier.”

                “That is… very detailed.”  Mr.  Terrific turned to face the crimefighter.  “Where did you find that?  It’s not in any of the data I gathered.”

                Batman’s expression did not change.  “Security footage I lifted from Titan’s Tower.  Caught a class the one Sakura was giving to the other nins shortly after the Ino incident.”

                “Spying on your apprentice, eh?”  Blue Devil shook his head admiringly.  “You are one sneaky…”

                “These are techniques used to break mind control?”  Terrific interrupted.

                “No.  Just the illusions.  There are few ways of breaking free from the Yamanaka mind control, as I understand.”

                “Hm.  Breaking illusions.  But how does that work, I wonder?  Why should chakra…”  Terrific lapsed into thought a moment.

                “Suppose,” he said finally, “suppose for a moment that the world these ninjas come from is permeated with chakra.  Not just the ninjas, but everything: trees, grass, earth, contain chakra in some form or another.”

                “Sounds likely.”  Blue Devil shrugged.  “Why?”

                “Such a permeation would give the ninjas an additional, if unconscious, sense of their surroundings, an almost sub-atomic connection with the natural world.”  Long fingers drumming against the control panel in concentration, Mr. Terrific frowned.  “Since the flow of chakra in the brain seems limited to the senses and not to motor skills, we may assume that the senses and chakra are closely linked.  Very likely, the atomic connection of chakra with nature and other things plays a large role in their enhanced sensory abilities.”

                “If you can call them that.”  Batman snorted.  “I was able to sneak up on the one big one.”

                Terrific ignored him.  “An illusion, then, when it manipulates the chakra, is seeking to create a false chakra signature of some kind a… a hologram of the mind, say.  It is providing atomic messages from things that aren’t there.  However, because the reason and motor areas of the brain are unaffected, if the victim realizes this, they still have options.”

                “The methods we mentioned.  So how do they fit in?”

                “Suppressing their chakra… I suppose that would be breaking the connection with the outside.  Simply ‘not listening’ to the false signals, in a way.  It would probably allow your body to identify the foreign chakra and expel it.  Pushing it outward though…”  Terrific again frowned.  “…perhaps… that might re-establish the natural connection?  Forcing the false chakra for a stronger connection than it can sustain, thus breaking it?  I’m not sure.  Very confusing.  Interesting though.”  He nodded.  “Extremely interesting.”

 

 

* * *

 

“I do believe you’re getting better at this, Mr. Nara.”

                “Not like I have much else to do around here.”  Shikamaru tried to block the man’s voice out, tried to concentrate on the board.  Though he couldn’t be sure, he felt almost as though the man was toying with him, deliberately playing poorly to gauge how far beneath him Shikamaru really was.  And even if he wasn’t doing that, he could still probably use the game to judge Shikamaru’s personality.

                “Well, you’ve certainly adapted toward using new fighting methods,” smirked the man.  “Granted, they don’t seem to be helping you any… bishop to F7… but it does show quick thinking and flexibility.  I’m almost impressed.”

                That was another thing about this guy, his annoying arrogance.  Shikamaru would have loved to burst his bubble of superiority if it hadn’t been, well, TRUE.  The man pretended like he was smarter than anyone else, and it was all the more troublesome because he was.  Even now, he was tearing his way through Shikamaru’s carefully falsified chess strategy.

                Though he really shouldn’t be so annoyed by that, because in a way, that’s what the falsified chess strategy was SUPPOSED to do.  Fail.  Mislead the man into assuming Shikamaru stupider than he was.  Hopefully, even cause him to make some kind of crucial mistake.

                “Rook to C8.”  Shikamaru finally decided.

                “An interesting move.”  Luthor studied the board.   “By the way, I’ve noticed your hands make a little twitching gesture when you’re thinking.  A habit of yours, or some kind of nervous condition?”

                “Habit.”  THAT, at least, could hardly be dangerous for Luthor to know.  “Or rather, an attempt at a habit of mine.  I normally steeple my fingers to think, but with my arms manacled, I can hardly do that, now can I?”

                An eyebrow slowly crept upwards on the man’s face.  “How fascinating.  Pawn to D5.”  For a moment he sat and watched Shikamaru lie in bed, fingers twitching.  “Mr. Nara, I do feel disappointed in being unable to play you at full capacity.  Suppose I offered to undo those hands of yours?”

                Though he managed to keep his head from jerking up, Shikamaru could not control the widening of his eyes.  “And why would you do something like that?” answered he, as casually as possible.

                “Partly out of a desire to play you at full capacity.  After all, your legs are bound already, and you have stated numerous times that you have no intention of leaving so long as you are kept comfortable.  Therefore, surely there can be no harm in making you more comfortable while we are playing.”

                Impossible that Luthor actually believed that.   “It’d be nice, if that was all there is to it.”

                “Ah, you are not easily fooled, are you, Mr. Nara?”  The man’s pleased tone set Shikamaru to cursing.  He should have acted more gullible.  “You are quite correct.  I would desire you to answer a few more of my questions.”

                Shikamaru considered it.  Giving any kind of answers to this man was dangerous, far more dangerous than anything he might glean from their chess games.  And Shikamaru didn’t ACTUALLY want to be playing at his best.  On the other hand, he couldn’t afford to let this man know that, and it would be better if he kept up the illusion of reluctant compliance.  And freed hands… Shikamaru could do many things once his hands were free.

                Plus, Shikamaru’s fingers were REALLY itchy.  So he nodded.  “I guess I don’t see why not.”  He yawned.  “What do you want to know?”

                “You’d interrupt our chess game for a round of questions?”  Luthor lifted a curious eyebrow.

                Shikamaru shrugged.  “I don’t seem to be getting anywhere on this one anyway.  A short break might help me look at it in a new light.  Unless you need to keep your focus on…”

                “Thank you Mr. Nara, but I’m more than happy to begin questioning now.”  Putting away his pad of paper for a moment, Luthor stepped up closer to the glass.  “First one then.  Where is your red-eyed friend?”

                This time Shikamaru managed to keep his eyes undisturbed, but his mind inside was racing.  Luthor was talking about Sasuke.  But how could he know?  Had one of the others told him?  But why not use Sasuke’s name?

                Shikamaru decided on a test.  “You mean Gennosuke?”

                “Yes.  Where is Gennosuke?”

                _Ah-HA._   But how did he know about Sasuke’s eyes and not Sasuke?  “I’ve been sitting in a padded cell for the past three weeks, and you’re asking me?”

                “Very well, tell me what you can _about_ him.”

                Shikamaru shrugged.  “What’s to tell?  He’s skilled, mentally unstable, fiercely independent, and doesn’t get nearly enough sleep.  It’s dangerous to be his enemy, it’s more dangerous to be his friend.”

                “All very interesting, but what can this friend of yours DO?”

                “Oh, that?”  Outright lies were no good with Luthor.  One had to dodge with half-lies and misleading truths.  “Well, he’s got about the same power level as the rest of us.  More skilled, of course—he picks up on stuff quickly.  Crazy fast too, those eyes give him enhanced reaction time.  Some people say he can shoot flames from them, but…”  Shikamaru offered a grin to the man, “Well, you know how stories go.”

                “Of course I do.  What else can these eyes of his do?”

                The man was definitely fixated on those.  How had he heard of them?  “Well, like I said, there’s lots of stories.  Some people say he can shoot fireballs, some say he can summon armor, some say he can…”  Shikamaru paused only an instant as a thought struck him, but he quickly covered it up and moved on.  “…well, you get the idea.  Personally, I think the eye only REALLY casts illusions and just makes people THINK they see all that stuff.”    Giving Luthor a little wink, he leaned back and nodded sagely.  “People lose their heads all the time in battle, they don’t really think about whether what they’re seeing is TRUE.”

                “I quite understand you.”  A small smile tilted the corner of Luthor’s mouth.  “Have you anything further to add?”

                “Nope.”  Shikamaru shrugged.  “Like I said, the guy’s crazy skilled.  And stealthy.  He doesn’t give out much on what he can do.  No one’s quite sure what to think of him.”

                “Really.”  The man’s smile remained unmoved.  “Shall I tell you what I think, Mr. Nara Shikamaru?”

                “Go ahead.”

                “I think that these Sharingan of your friend Gennosuke CAN ignite black inextinguishable flames, summon inpenetrable armor, and cast mind-control illusions on people.  I also think that these Sharingan are capable of crossing dimensional barriers if provided the right impetus.”  Smiling without humor, Luthor added, “Judging from the expression on your face, I also think that you were aware of all of this, and sought to mislead me as to his abilities.”

                With a blip, the screen disappeared, and Luthor stepped closer to the glass.  “Now, Mr. Nara, suppose we drop this little game and deal honestly with each other.”

 

* * *

 

 

“W-well… what does all this have to do with me?”  Hinata toyed nervously with her fingers.

Spectre sighed and considered a long moment.  “As I said earlier, Earth too once had this great energy.  They also lost it and shattered its true power.  A form of it—though not chakra—lingered on for some years within the earth itself and various artifacts of power, until at last Diaprepes king of Atlantis collected all that remained of it within the Trident of Poseidon and used it to repel the demon Ichthultu.”

Hinata blinked.

“Well…”  Spectre made an impatient gesture.  “The point is, Earth has no natural chakra.  The closest it has come from spiritual creatures such as myself and Blue Devil, and the occasional visitor from New Genesis.  Thus, Earth has very little defense against the sort of disaster chakra was created to prevent.”

“B-but… they’ve gotten along alright so far, haven’t they?”  Hinata looked to the door.  “I m-mean… if there’s been nothing before…  What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that such a crisis is approaching, and rapidly.”  Spectre’s eyes increased their intensity, if that were possible.  “Another has arisen here on earth, who wields power nearly tantamount to my own.  Already he is gathering his forces, preparing the final stages to his plan.  When he is finished, such a crisis shall befall this world as it has not seen in millennia, and I am not certain that I shall be able to stop him.  That is why I called you to me.  I knew that I should need the aid of your world to oppose this man.”

Hinata was a Hyuuga, trained to notice subtle hints, and something about the way the man said the last bit caught her attention.  “O-of my w-world?  N-not just me?  B-but… then… why didn’t you just call the others?”

The man’s gaze changed slightly.  “I did call the others, Hyuuga Hinata.  I called all of you.”

“Wh-wh-what d-do you mean?”  A suspicion was growing on Hinata.

“Surely you cannot think that you are all here, in this place, at this time, simply due to an battletime error on the part of your teacher?”  The man raised his eyebrows gently.  “As I told you, all events are connected, distinct time-space intervals irretrievably wound with others.  It is so with events, it is so with people, and it is so with worlds.  All things have their place  and plan within the plan, and cannot…”

Suddenly he broke off and glanced away.  “What is that fool doing here?”

Hinata had only the barest of warnings before the door burst open and a blur of orange streaked in.  A glowing ball of blue in its palm shot forward at the green trenchcoat, and there was a mighty explosion.

Slowly the dust cleared, and there in the office, facing a thoroughly calm Spectre over a shattered desk, stood Naruto.

“Get away from Hinata, you freak!”

 

* * *

 

 

“This theorization is all well and good, but you’re missing one thing.”  Blue Devil spoke up.  “The kid Naruto.  How do you explain that insane amount of energy he has?”

“Hm.”  Terrific nodded.  “A valid point, he is definitely an anomaly.  Do you have any suggestions?”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t listen to them,” snorted the demon.

“Probably not.  They would nonetheless be useful, though.”  Terrific eyed the other thoughtfully.  “The fact that you reacted to his presence does indicate a similarity in your conditions… perhaps your mutation has a chakra-like counterpart in the boy.”

“I keep telling you, these horns and tail AIN’T a mutation.”

“No, you tell me they’re physical attributes given to you by a demon.  However, even you admit that the horns and tail are merely physical and have no actual spiritual or even magical function.  That counts as a mutation.  If you want to call it a demonic-assisted mutation, fine, but it’s still a mutation.”

“It’s physically impossible for the boy to contain that much energy within that much space.”  Batman frowned.  “At least, impossible for a normal body structure, which our medical examination showed he was.  So we must assume he is getting the extra energy from another source.”

“Within, most likely.  He made comments during the meeting about having a fox in his belly… apparently where he believed this ‘demon’ to be.  That’s also where we saw the strange markings on his stomach.”  Here Mr. Terrific came to a halt.  “But… he doesn’t have room there.”

“Not by the theory you’re working from, anyway.”  Blue Devil agreed.

“That means somewhere we’re wrong.”  Terrific nodded.  “A surrounding aura of psychic power, perhaps?  But J’onn would have sensed that.   Perhaps the ink… but no.  Even if it was tightly packed energy, it would be impossible.  ”

“Even pure ATP energy tightly stored would take up far too much space,” nodded Batman.  “It would be more than three times the size of the boy himself.”

“Could it be, oh, I don’t know, a DEMON, like the boy suggested?”  Blue Devil asked sarcastically.

Mr. Terrific started to respond, then paused.  “An extra-dimensional force…  that might…”  he turned to Batman.  “Could the markings on the boy’s stomach serve as a dimensional gateway of some kind?  Similar to the one that brought them here in the first place?”

“It is… possible.”  Batman conceded after some thought.  “I’ve noticed some of the others store books, weapons, and random items within scrolls through the use of these ‘seals.’  A dimensional gateway would certainly make that possible.”

Mr. Terrific nodded.  “And if this Naruto had one specially infused into his system, it could theoretically supply his body with a dimension’s worth of chakra.  An extra-dimensional source…there would be virtually no limit.”

“That doesn’t explain his reaction to me.”  Blue Devil reminded them.

“Call it an extra-dimensional entity if it makes you feel better.”  Mr. Terrific rolled his eyes.  “The effect is the same in either case.”

                “Hm.”  Batman stood to his feet. “Interesting as this has been, speculation is largely pointless until we get more concrete information from the ninja themselves.  Explaining the circumstances may make them more willing to assist.”  Gazing at the projector, Batman added, “How exactly do you intend to use the chakra?”

                “That would be easier to know if I knew what chakra was.”  Terrific snorted.  “Ideally, I’d use it to power a replica of the original projector—say, a cloned version of this ‘Sharingan’ that they consider so powerful.  But the only person on this world with one is that fugitive Uchiha Sasuke, and there’s been no sign of him.”

 

 

* * *

 

                Robin saw the speedboat long before it reached the island.  Not many people went pleasure cruising out at this time, and even fewer found reason to come this way.  Tourists occasionally came, but this boat moved too swiftly and directly to be a sightseer.  It cut through the water straight for the island.

                “ _Robin…_ ”  a voice crackled in his earpiece.

                “I see it.”  He assured Cyborg.   “Do you have a visual?”

                “ _Not yet… the angle is bad.  I can hit it with a repulsor shot, though_.”

                “Negative.  Let it come in here.”  Robin eyed the boat.  “It looks like the owner wants something.”

                Slowly Robin made his way over the banks of the island, stopping before the tiny bay.  He waited on the dock as the small boat cruised over to the coast and began to putter toward him.  Behind him, he felt rather than saw Starfire float into position as the boat touched land.

                From the boat stepped a tall slim woman clad in purple, clutching a crossbow.  Her uncharacteristically disheveled hair hung over a pair of equally uncharacteristic anxious eyes.

                “Huntress.”  Robin nodded.  “What can we do for you?”

                “I need your help.”  The woman stated.  “Question’s missing.”


	16. Manipulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Titans and the ninjas have found Sasuke! But they're lacking Naruto and Hinata, who are being subjected to far-reaching revelations about the ninja's presence in this world.

 

“Shino?  Good, you’re back.”  Sakura bent over the mouthpiece. “Get down here right away, we’re trying to get everyone together.”  She turned back to face the purple-lingerie lady.  “Four days ago, you say?”

“Almost five.”  The lady appeared to be rather anxious, she kept fiddling around with her crossbow.  It probably didn’t help that Sakura, Robin, Cyborg, and Neji were all staring at her.  “He left around midnight, saying he had a lead, and that I shouldn’t wait up for him.  I didn’t think too much of it for the first few days… He can get a little absentminded when he’s on a case… but when it got to be  three days I got nervous.”

“Aaaaand… why did you bring this to us?”  Cyborg arched a critical eyebrow.  “Isn’t this more a League kinda thing?”

“Huntress doesn’t work with the League.”  Robin answered before the woman could.  “Question does, but something tells me this wasn’t a League mission.”  A piercing look entered Robin’s eye.  “But I’m rather puzzled by you bringing this to us too.  You’re a loner, Huntress, why aren’t you tracking him down yourself.”

Huntress glanced away uneasily.  “I’m… not in the proper condition to fight.  It’s too dangerous.”

The ninja part of Sakura’s mind filed away that uneasiness (as did Robin’s, from his expression), but the other part of her had more important matters to consider.  “You two had been tracking Sasuke?  All this time?”

“Question had.  I was just along for the ride.  He didn’t say who had ordered him to find Sasuke, just that it wasn’t the League.  I think I have a pretty good idea who it was, though.”

“So do I.”  Robin snorted. 

Though thoroughly confused by the exchange, Sakura had other matters to consider.  “Why didn’t anyone let us know?”

“If you recall, the League did not take kindly to our interference in this matter.”  Neji noted  “Even if they had known about this woman’s efforts, they would not have informed us for fear we would have involved ourselves.”

“With good reason, apparently.”  Again Robin snorted.  “You realize there’s no way I’m letting you guys out of here to go after him, right?”

“You realize none of us care?” snapped Sakura, turning back to the computer system.  “Go ahead and try to stop us if you feel so stubborn about it, there’s enough of us to handle you guys.”

She could nearly feel Cyborg’s glare.  “Boss…”

                “Let it go, Cyborg.”  Robin ordered.  “And Sakura, you should know you can’t afford any losses.  Last time you went up against Sasuke, you had your whole team and were meeting him on familiar ground.  You don’t know anything about Gotham and you’re down two members, what on earth makes you think you’ll be better off this time?

                Sakura’s fingers paused momentarily over the keys.  “He doesn’t have Suigetsu with him.”

                “Our chances are irrelevant.”  Neji added.  “Sasuke is a Konoha matter and must be handled by Konoha nins.”

                Huntress uttered a short bark of a laugh.  “More or less why I came here, I suppose.  Couldn’t call the League, since he wasn’t on League business, but I figured the ones after this Sasuke kid might be interested in doing a rescue mission.”

                “Miscalculation on your part.  These guys aren’t so much about rescue as assassination.”  That came from Cyborg.

                “We can perform rescues as well as anyone.”  Neji sounded almost insulted.  “Every precaution shall be taken to ensure the safety of this ‘Question.’”

                “Question?  That the guy who stripped me and tied me to a chair?”  Sakura turned just as Kiba entered the room, glaring around suspiciously.  “Hey yeah, this lady was there.  What’s going on Sakura?”

                “We’ve got a lead on Sasuke and we’re taking it.”  Sakura rose from the chair.  “Are the others here?  We’ll do a quick debriefing and then head out.”

                “Not in any Titan ships, you won’t.”

                Shrugging, Sakura responded.  “Fine then.  We’ll walk.  But if you’re really concerned about our survival, Robin, could you give me a hand with the scanner?  I can’t find Naruto or Hinata anywhere, and if we can’t find them soon, we’ll have to leave without them.”

                For some reason Robin seemed to find her request humorous.  “Even if I could help with that, I wouldn’t.”  He answered.  “Your teammate seems to have a talent for disappearing.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “No, Naruto-kun!  No!”  Hinata shot in between Naruto and the Spectre and held her arms out.  “He’s a friend!”

                “He’s a hulking mass of chakra is what he is!”  Naruto snarled.  “Signature nearly knocked me out from clear across town!”

                “You are not far from ‘a hulking mass of chakra’ yourself, Uzumaki Naruto, you would do well not to assume similar masses are inherently evil.”  Spectre eyed the boy disdainfully.

                “Shut it!  Last time I felt something like that was in Luthor’s base, and IT wasn’t friendly.  What the heck are you and what are you doing with Hinata?”

                “He’s not doing anything with me, Naruto!”  Spreading out her arms placatingly, Hinata attempted to calm the boy.  “I… if you need to know, I came here to see him.  I… I know him.”

                Naruto blinked, momentarily distracted.  “What?  You know this dude?”

                “I contacted her upon your arrival into this world,” nodded the other.  “It was essential that someone within your team be able to communicate freely with the meta-humans, just as it was important that I be able to relay my information to someone within your team.”

                “You mean you… she…” Naruto’s eyes flickered from one to the other.  “Hinata, have you been spying for this guy?”

                “Do not be ridiculous.”  Spectre’s scorn flashed out before Hinata could voice her distress.  “I am the Spectre.  All things are open to me.  I do not need ‘spies.’  I selected her as an intermediary to inform your people of why they were needed.”

                “An inter… okay.  I see.” 

Naruto’s face showed all too clearly that he did NOT see, but at least he wasn’t accusing her of spying anymore.  Somewhat relieved, she lowered her arms.  “I met him in the park on the day you fought Superman.”  She explained.  “He helped me find you.  I met him again that day we went out for ramen.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“I… I…”  How was she supposed to explain that she’d been worried what he’d think?  “I didn’t… that was the same day as the… thing with Ino…”

“Oh.”  A guilty expression flashed across Naruto’s face, reminding Hinata of Naruto’s own painful aversion of the topic.  “Never mind then.”  He turned to the man.  “So what are you, anyway?  What’s with that massive chakra?”

“As I was just explaining to your friend, it is not ‘chakra.’  However, since you ask, I am the archangel Uriel, who stands within the Second Bloom of the…”  He stopped at the glazed expression on Naruto’s face and sighed.  “I am called Spectre.”  He amended.  “And I am an angel.”

There was still some glaze left over Naruto’s eyes.  “A what?”

“He’s very powerful, Naruto.”  Hinata explained.  “He’s a little like Kyuubi, except he’s good and doesn’t destroy villages.”

“Oh!”

“I am NOTHING like Kyuubi,” protested the indignant angel.  “Kyuubi is a twisted division of a being of pure evil, I am a messenger of the Almighty, sent to…”

“He called me here today because he needed to tell me some… stuff.”  Hinata glanced anxiously at the trenchcoat-clad man, who appeared to subside at her words.  “We were nearly finished when you came in here.”

“He needed to tell you stuff?  What kind of stuff?”  Naruto peered around her at the angel, eyeing him distrustfully.  “And why should she listen to you anyway, buster?”

Spectre acknowledged the comment with a mild tilt of his head.  “Because I am the one responsible for your presence on this world.”

Naruto’s mouth dropped open.  Hinata turned, her mouth also agape.

“I see I still have some explaining to do,” muttered the angel.  “Perhaps you ought to be seated.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Bruce, there’s a message coming in.  Recognition code says it’s from Robin”

                “Hit play.”  Batman ordered, looking up from his microscope.  “And put it on speaker.”

                With a curt nod, Wonder Woman tapped the appropriate keys on the control panel.  Her few weeks in Gotham had taught her a great deal, and she’d acquired certain skills—such as computer management and crime investigation—that she hadn’t had opportunity to develop before.  More and more regularly now she went off on her own, instead of being accompanied by Bruce everywhere.  She wasn’t sure whether she liked the change or not, but so far her time had been most productive.

                ‘Robin’ however, she had yet to meet, and it was some curiosity that she listened to the terse voice issuing from the computer.  “ _Bruce._ ”

                “Dick.”  Batman replied, still fiddling with the microscope. 

_“I’m sending this from the Titan flier.  We’re currently headed toward Gotham.”_

                Glancing up sharply, Batman frowned.  “And why is that?”

 _“Huntress came down to the tower with a message, said Question’s missing.  She told the ninjas that they’d been tailing Uchiha Sasuke.”_ The voice took on a slightly insinuating tone.  _“I assume that was your idea?”_

                Diana shot Bruce a stern look but he took no notice.  “I didn’t know Huntress took on partners, at least not teenagers.”

                _“Apparently she’s not fit to go superheroing herself and thought the ninjas would be interested.”_ Wonder Woman could almost picture the shoulders shrugging up and down.  _“Guess what they decided.”_

                “And you let them?”

              _“Didn’t LET them do anything.  They were going with or without us, I figured that they’d have better chances if we were at least along.  And I got Cyborg to delay arrival too… I’d hoped to keep them from using the planes, but apparently the one Neji has been studying them a bit.  Still.  You’ve got fifteen minutes, tops, before we arrive in Gotham.”_

                “Sasuke’s here, then.”

                “ _Yes._ ”  Cold, clinical.  To the point.  Every inch Batman’s apprentice.  _“Some of the ninjas can detect this chakra, they should be able to find him quickly.  From what I’ve heard, none of them are Sasuke’s equal, but they have enough to get a good-sized brawl going, so… I just thought I’d let you know.”_

                “The ninjas aren’t aware of this message, then?”

             _“No.  They think I’m just up front here being sulky.”_

                Diana suppressed a grin.  Definitely Batman’s protege. 

                “Very well.”  Starting at the sudden voice at her shoulder, Diana turned to see Batman leaning past her toward the control panel.  He tapped a few keys and a corresponding screen lit up.  “We’ll be aware.  Keep the ninjas attention frontward.”

                _“Understood ._ ”  The radio clicked off.

                Diana turned on the caped crusader wrathfully.  “You had Question track down the fugitive one?”

                “He was going to be a problem sooner or later,” returned Batman.  “It seemed best to start on it while the trail was fresh, and Question was available.”

                “Uh-huh.  And why didn’t you at least bring this up to the others so we could have, I don’t know, VOTED on it?”

                “It was a trivial detail that might not have come to bear anything for a while.  I deemed it better to bring it up once Question had actually found something.”  With a few last strokes on the computer, Batman nodded and turned away.  “Also if I’d brought it up then, prevailing prejudice against Question would have defeated it.”

                “Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, hm?”  Diana sighed.  “It almost bothers me more that I’m not surprised.  And what was that business about ‘keeping the ninja’s attention’ about?”

                Batman was already stalking across the cave floor.  “The ninjas ARE our best chance of locating Sasuke right now.  We can’t let them actually engage him, but we can use them to track down his exact position.”  He jumped toward a ladder and began to climb.

                “We’re following them, then?”

                “Of course we are.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “…doesn’t do anything like that.”

                “Are you sure of this?”

                Shikamaru rolled his eyes.  “Of course I’m not SURE.  He’s an enemy, for crying out loud, it’s not like he tells his techniques to ME.  But I fought him and he never used anything like that.” Of course, Shikamaru had NO intention of mentioning Kakashi.

                “Very odd indeed, Mr. Nara, as my sources tell me definitely that he HAS used the teleportation device, several times.”

                “Well then ask your oh-so-definite SOURCES how he does it!”  Shikamaru would have thrown his hands up in frustration if they hadn’t been manacled to the bed.  “I don’t know how he does it, and personally I don’t think he does.  Anyway, if he COULD shift between dimensions, what makes you think he’d still be hanging around THIS one?” 

                “He has not.  I would know.”

                “And how, exactly, would you know that?”  Already Shikamaru’s mind was reforming, adapting itself to the setback.  Luthor seemed unusually insistent on the eyes, they were a weak point, Shikamaru could exploit that.  He also seemed unnaturally sure of himself, something that aroused Shikamaru’s suspicions.  “You don’t even know where the guy is or how he does this thing, assuming he even does it to begin with!  If you’re so sure he hasn’t teleported out, than that only means that he can’t.  That guy has got NO reason to continue hanging around a world full of wackos like you.  And if he can’t, that means you’re wrong, and that this whole stupid obsession with him is pointless.”

                “It is far from pointless, Mr. Nara, and I tell you he would NOT leave.  His section would be drawn to mine, the equation naturally seeks completion.”

                Shikamaru barely blinked at the curious wording, but he noted it nonetheless.  “Or maybe it isn’t, and you’re just wrong about the whole thing.”

                “Wrong?  No.  No, not wrong, Mr. Nara.”  A cold chuckle escaped Luthor’s lips.  “No, I have never been more sure of anything in my life.  You know something, even if you do not yet realize it’s significance, and I will not allow your ignorance to stand between me and my ultimate ambition.”  His eyes glittered as he leaned closer to the glass.  “You _will_ tell me what I want to know.”

                Shikamaru snorted, realizing both his position and the potential inherent.  “And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that, when I don’t even know what it IS that I know that is so significant?  Or even what is so significant about the whole deal to begin with?”

                There was a slight pause as the man regarded him narrowly.  Shikamaru did his best to appear frustrated and confused, as if completely unaware of the importance of his question.

                Finally the man gave a little chuckle, and spoke.  “You really want to know the stakes you’re playing for, boy?  Very well.  Let me tell you a story…”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Bathroom.  Bathroom?  Bathroom!”

                “Through that door, but it’s not really a…”  Robin trailed off as Huntress shoved her way toward the back.  “…whatever.”

                Kiba, from his seat, grinned.  “Jeez, Cyborg, you oughta fly slower for the lady or something.”

                “Hey!”  Cyborg glared back at the dog-nin.  “My flying is fine!  She’s probably just airsick of something.”

                Robin was eyeing the door thoughtfully.  “There’s nothing in her league history to suggest it…”

                Personally, Chouji was just glad the lady was out of their hair for a few moments, even if the sound of retching from the bathroom DID sound rather painful.  She’d been pacing and asking all sorts of bothersome questions and had even complained about the smell of his potato chips. 

Seriously, the smell?

Chouji leaned back and stared outside.  The clouds were whizzing past his window, thin bits of wispy fog being ripped apart by their sleek jet.  He wondered what Shikamaru would think of viewing the clouds from up here, and whether he would like it.  Personally he doubted it.  Shikamaru had always enjoyed the slow movement of clouds, being up in a plane where they whipped past would probably ruin the point.

Chouji wondered what Shikamaru would think about a lot of things, particularly the mission they were on at the moment.  The last time they’d done something like this, he’d led them, and while Chouji trusted Sakura—she WAS one of the Sannin apprentices, after all, it wasn’t like anything he had with Shikamaru.

Whatever.  He didn’t know.  He didn’t know what to do about ANYTHING, really.  Shikamaru was gone and Ino was… well, she was better, but still out of it a lot.  Without the one to guide him and the other to boss him around, Chouji was more or less lost.  He just sat around until someone—usually Sakura or Robin—gave him something to do.

Pretty much what he was doing now—just sitting in one of the rear seats and listen to what was going on in the front.

“Now entering Gotham City.”  Cyborg’s voice broke in on his thoughts.  “Hope y’all enjoy the scenery, hosts the finest smog-choked skies in the country.”

“Bludhaven is worse.”  Robin objected.

“Whatever.  We’re here.”  Sakura cut both off with a  wave of her hand.  “Now I was going to ask Huntress where her boyfriend was, but since she’s out…”  She turned to Neji.  “…see if you can locate Sasuke’s chakra anywhere in the area.”

Neji nodded and brought up his hands.  “Byakugan!”  Almost immediately the veins around his eyes bulged and his head jerked convulsively.

“Are you well, youthful rival?”  Lee eyed his teammate, noting a strange vagueness to his gaze.

“I’m… alright.”  Neji responded, putting a hand to his head.  “It is merely… disorienting to be traveling so fast.  Ah.”  He pointed.  “There is a dim source of chakra in that direction.”

“That was fast.”  Robin glanced at the nin.

“Locating a chakra signature in a city empty of it is much easier than identifying a particular person,” explained Sakura.  “Alright, Cyborg, take us off that way.  Now everyone, remember the plan.   Sasuke uses his eye-powers a lot, so your best chance is to stay out of his line of sight.  We’ll attack  in a circle formation…”

Neji’s voice cut into her speech.  “We have a problem.”

Sakura glanced up.  “What?”

“There is a plane pursuing us at a distance of fourteen miles or so.”

“There are a lot of commercial flights through Gotham…”  Robin offered.

“It is flown by our ‘Batman’ acquaintance.”  Neji shook his head.  “And he is accompanied by the woman my other teammates fought before.”

“Crap.”  Sakura hissed.  “How does he do that?  I mean, I knew he lived here but…”  Shaking her head, she turned and faced the others, deep in thought.  Finally she pointed.  “Chouji.  Sai.  Follow me.”  Without pausing, she walked straight towards the back.  “Cyborg, cut the engines a little.”  She called  “Let that jet get a little closer.”

Shrugging, Chouji pushed himself from the seat and climbed after her, to be followed somewhat more hesitantly by Sai.  They stopped before a ramp and a rather ominous-looking ceiling hatch.

“The wind will tear you to shreds out there, so you have to do this quickly.”  Sakura explained.  “Chouji, I want you to bring that jet down.  Sai, you fly down on one of your ink things and back him up at the crash site.  Slow down those two for as long as you can.”

The two gave a short nod, though Sai looked a trifle worried.  He kept darting anxious little glances at Chouji.

“Okay.”  Sakura poised her hand over the release switch.  “On ‘three.’  One, two…”

Chouji’s feet bounded over the metal, up the ramp and out into the air.  He felt the wind tearing at his skin but paid it no heed, his hands were already flying into the seals.  “ _Cho Baika no Jutsu_!” 

His body ballooned outwards, swelling to nearly three times its former size.    The sensation was always curious, it really felt as though the world about him grew smaller, more cramped.  In this case, he definitely noticed the space between buildings shrinking, but to his astonishment did NOT feel the reassuring weight of the ground underneath.  Gotham City was much higher than Konoha.

He scarcely had time to think this before the small, sharp black jet clipped his shoulder.  The pilot must have been incredibly talented to avoid his massive bulk at such short notice, but he had been unable to miss him completely.  Chouji watched in satisfaction as the plane hurtled earthward, smoking.

His satisfaction immediately turned to chagrin as a red and blue blur of feminine fury shot at him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “It is difficult to know exactly where to begin,” said the Spectre, calmly addressing Hinata and the suspiciously hovering Naruto.  “As I have said, all events are connected and interdependent, therefore to truly understand any event, you must understand all.”

                “Of all the…”  Naruto began, but Hinata quieted him.

                “As that is scarcely possible, I suppose I should begin with the convergences.  Some time ago, in the space of two of your years, I witnessed a dim—a connection, as it were, with another world.  Such connections are not uncommon, indeed, there are many more than people suspect, but this was rude and blatant, obviously artificial.  Such connections can be dangerous.”

                “So… what did you do?”

                Spectre blinked at Naruto.  “Nothing.”

                “What?”  Naruto blinked back.  “But you just said they were dangerous!”

                “They are.  Very dangerous.   Artificial convergences can create rifts within worlds, or even the dimensional fabric itself.  More commonly, they knock both worlds away from their appointed places.”  Spectre frowned.  “Or at least they seem to.  No world is ever truly out of its appointed place.”

                “But…” spluttered Naruto.  “If they’re so dangerous… you knew about it, and you didn’t… DO anything about them?”

                “The curse of an angel is that he knows everything and can do nothing,” spoke a voice from the doorway.  Naruto and Hinata turned to face a bemused Rev. McCay.  “Just as the curse of man is that he knows nothing and believes he can do anything.”

                Spectre inclined his head.  “The convergence was meant to happen.  I witnessed it but it was not appointed to me to interfere.  However, it was appointed for me to investigate.”

                “D-didn’t you know who it was?”

                “I did not.”  There was neither embarrassment nor frustration evident on the angel’s face, just calm acceptance.  “Nor do I completely know now. Norman is not entirely correct, angels are not all-knowing.  We know only what we are given to know, that is all.  In addition, the source of the dimensional disturbance was shielded by a powerful force, one nearly as great as my own.  Naturally, this discovery only made my investigation more paramount, but for some time I was unable to determine anything.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “We’ve been at this for days.  So far you’ve been unable to give me anything useful.”  Sasuke muttered to the faceless man sitting across from him.  “What does it take to get this through your skull?”  Casually, he brought up Kusanagi and touched it to the man’s neck.  “Why were you following me?  What do you know?”

                Sasuke couldn’t even tell if the man blinked.  “Cranberry sauce wasn’t at the first Thanksgiving.”  He answered.  “It was added by Masonite mystics to alter the American bloodstream.”

                 Sasuke sighed and sent a bolt of charged electricity along his sword straight into the man’s nervous system, manipulating it up and down his nervous system, making sure to especially stimulate crucial points along the body.  It was one of the more delicate tricks Orochimaru had taught him, but these days he mostly just used it to alleviate boredom.

Finally Sasuke released the lightning and whipped his sword away, letting the man slump in gasping exhaustion against his bonds.  “I finally find someone who speaks clearly and all he does is talk nonsense.”  He muttered.  “I can keep this up for a while, you know.  My genjutsus don’t seem to have quite the effect they once did, but I’m more than capable of replicating their illusions in real life.  Tell me what I need to know.”

The man’s breath was spasmodic, gasping, but he managed to grit out: “Hanes socks aren’t 20% polyester.  At least 0.05% is made of minerals collected from crop circle corn fields.”

Sasuke sighed and sent the charge again, this time not even bothering with the sword.  “You should consider yourself fortunate that I’ve been so bored lately.”  He told the screaming man.  “I might have Tsukiyomi on you by now if there was anything I needed to know instantly.  As it is, I have plenty of food and plenty of ammo, and all the time in the world.  Even experimenting with my Sharingan has gotten dull.  So this is amusement, really.”  He let off on the electricity and watched the man slump against his restraints.  “Now.  Tell me your purpose.  Your name.  ANYTHING useful you might know.  Tell me.”

“Topically… applied… fluoride… doesn’t… prevent… tooth…"

“This is getting rather bothersome,” snorted Sasuke as he shot electricity into the man’s nerves once more.  “You know, I might feel more concerned about who sent you if they weren’t likely to be helpless incompetents like yourself.  Even if they do send someone after you, I doubt they’ll be worth saving.  Perhaps I ought to…”

Sasuke was broken off in mid sentence as the walls around him exploded.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Several years ago, I acquired a good deal of power.”  Luthor casually buffed his fingernails on his labcoat as he spoke.  “How or what amount does not matter, suffice to say that I became… assured of my position.  Immovable, as it were.”

                Tenten really had no idea why the man was blathering on.  All she had been doing had been their arranged weapons-testing session for the day.  When Luthor had first walked in, she’d assumed he wanted to start questioning early, and had resolutely sworn not to say anything till she was finished with practice. 

                Fortunately, his initial questions had been rather meaningless—all about some guy named ‘Gennosuke’—and when he’d grown irritated with her silence, he had decided to fill it by telling her exactly why it was so important he find this ‘Gennosuke.’

                Tenten did not particularly care for Luthor’s reasons.  This was not heart-to-heart time.  This was weapons practice.

                ‘Weapons Practice’ was a tightly controlled regime, as Tenten had expected it to be.  She was strapped to a  chair, arms, legs, and head immobilized.  Each weapon, in turn, was attached to the front of one of the chair’s arms, where it locked into place.  She could not move it, twist it, or even look along it very well.  She could only press the trigger and watch it fire. 

                Regardless, Tenten was in heaven,  and not about to be pulled out of it by some bald-brained inquisitor who thought she had nothing better to do than listen to his stories of greatness.

                “You’d think that, having obtained such power, my first act would be to use it against my enemies and catch them off guard.  But events have taught me not to underestimate the Justice League, and they seemed likely to remain complacent for a while.  So instead I focused on consolidating my power, and working toward the ultimate completion of my aims.”

                Tenten beckoned eagerly with her finger as a new weapon was brought forward.  She remembered this one!  Rapid fire, explosive rounds.  Not incredibly accurate, partly due to recoil, but still… amazing.  The things she could do with something like this.  If only her hands were free…

                “You must understand Miss Tenten, although genetically I am human, the sensation of being a god is not wholly new to me.  Most of my new powers were fairly basic: teleportation, transformation, terraforming, things of that nature.  Brainwashing too, though I have received mixed results with that.”  She saw him frown momentarily.  “However, as I said, I was discrete in the use of my powers, preferring to work through mortal means.”

                Firing off a few rounds, Tenten frowned.  Something was wrong.  The balance on this gun was off.  It had always been inaccurate, but now the explosive range was nearly a full foot larger than earlier.  How was that possible?  As much as she could, she craned her neck around to study the gun.

                “Although successful in avoiding the League’s attention, all my power could not find me the one thing I sought… the final completion of my power.  You see, Miss Tenten, my power stemmed from a simple equation, but the equation was not complete.  A crucial piece was missing, and without it, true godhood was denied me.”

                Now she saw.  The idiots had removed one of the side air circulators, throwing off the balance.  They’d done this before, she guessed to mess with her knowledge of the gun’s capabilities.  Now that she felt it, there was a touch more stiffness in the firing mechanism.  They must have gummed it up with something.

                “Countless experiments bore no fruit until, one day, I felt something.  A tug at my mind’s eye, you might say, as if somewhere, the missing piece had reached out to me.  Things yearn to be whole, Miss Tenten, and the missing piece of the equation KNEW it was meant to be with me.”

                A few more shots.  Tenten frowned again with irritation.  This was seriously messing with her aiming.  Plus, the alterations to the gun couldn’t be healthy for it… extra friction meant extra heat, and with one circulation vent missing already….

                Suddenly Tenten grinned, an idea forming in her head.

                “It took me a while to identify the pull, and reach out to it in turn.  Imagine my surprise, therefore, upon discovering that the pull came from another dimension.”

 

* * *

 

 

                _The debris will give us a few seconds of cover._   Sakura  reflected as she dashed over the ground.  _Effect virtually negligible in light of Sasuke’s Sharingan, which will allow him to see the chakra networks.  However, will keep him from employing Amateratsu during intial phases._

                Her hand flew to her pouch and a few smoke pellets fell into her hand.  Whatever this world’s shortcomings in soldier pills, they made some _mean_ smoke bombs.  She scattered them in a wide arc, hearing satisfying pops as her comrades did likewise.

                “Contact.”  A monotone sounded off somewhere ahead of her, and Sakura shot towards Shino’s voice.  The disadvantage of the smoke screen was that they could not see Sasuke, while Sasuke could see them.  The circle formation they’d landed in would keep him from escaping, but the first to meet him needed to let the others know.

                So far, the plan had gone rather well.  The only hitch was that Sasuke had not cast a genjutsu, as she had expected, but perhaps the surprise, in accord with the smoke, had rendered that impossible.

                Unless he _had_ cast a genjutsu…

                Sakura shook her head and took another leap toward the sounds of battle.  She’d been hanging around Sai too much.  There had been no chance to cast one, and her back-up plan would have taken care of it if there had.    No, this was real.

                She burst through the final wall of smoke to behold  Shino and Lee double-teaming Sasuke, who was throwing fire-balls left and right.  Part of Shino’s coat was singed, indicating a rather costly encounter.  Lee, she noticed with annoyance, was still wearing his weights.

                Neither Lee nor Shino so much as glanced at her, but Sasuke noticed her nonetheless.  Almost lazily, he shot her with a bolt of electricity, knocking her flat on her back.  The distraction was enough for Lee to land a roundhouse to Sasuke’s stomach, but he recovered quickly and  the fight resumed it’s normality.  A blur announced Kiba’s entrance to the battle, but Sakura did not hope for much from him.

                “Lee… take the damn weights off!”  She shouted, standing to her feet.  “Remember last time?”

                Paling, Lee leapt back, dealt a sharp blow to each leg, and whipped back into the struggle, leg covers dropping to the ground with a clang as he did so.   A green blur filled the air, knocking Sasuke back a few paces.

                Sakura grinned.  The whole key with Sasuke, she knew was to bring him down _quickly_.  Overwhelming force, applied at a single point, might be able to take Sasuke down before he could bring some of his stronger—and more disastrous—jutsus to bear.

                Sakura was not a Shikamaru.  She knew this and accepted this.  It bothered her a great deal that they did not have Shikamaru with them, just as it bothered her that they had been unable to contact Naruto or Hinata about the attack.  Sure he was out two partners.  Sure, they had the Titans along with them.  That didn’t change that the last time, when they’d attacked with Shikamaru AND Tenten AND Hinata AND Kakashi(toward the end only, but even so…), they’d still gotten beaten.

                And she hated that.  She hated it, because if anyone deserved to die from Sasuke, it was her.  She’d been unable to stop him, she’d kept the others from killing him before he grew to be… what he was, she was responsible for his falling.  If it’d been at all practical, she would have gone up against Sasuke herself.  But she’d tried that before, and not only had it failed, it had warned her teammates never to let her try it again.

                So she was stuck trying to make a plan where as few of them died as possible.

                She felt someone land directly next to her.  “Target secured.”  Robin whispered. 

                “Good.”  She nodded.  “I didn’t think he’d see you, with the smoke and our chakra signatures and everything.”

                “A little touchy at the beginning, but yes.”  Robin frowned.  “If he’d tried to hold him hostage, we’d have been sunk.”

                “Sasuke doesn’t work that way.”

                While she might not have Shikamaru’s genius for strategy, Sakura had something that the Nara would never have.  A thorough knowledge of Sasuke and Sasuke’s techniques, developed through obsessive study.  In a battle like this, where Sasuke was their ONLY opponent, that counted for a lot.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Our world?”  Naruto blinked.  “The disruptions were coming from our world?”

                “No.”  Spectre let out an icy sigh.  “There are two sides to every false connection, child.  A prompting must come from BOTH ends for an effective link to be established.  The worlds must have something in common in order to connect.  Your world was only one part of the equation, the other was this.”

                “B-but why?”  Hinata blinked.  “W-we d-don’t have m-much in common with this world…. Do we?  It’s all so strange and different here…”

                The Spectre let out a smile, a strange sight on that foreboding face.  “As I explained to you earlier, you have more in common with this world than you realize.  It is no accident that you and the reporter Lois Lane established such an easy rapport, little one.  You and her are in some ways alike… her role as a reporter is very similar to yours as a ‘medium.’  You connect people and bring them together.  Nor is it any accident that Naruto feels such a sympathy toward the ways of this world.  In some ways, it approximates the world he himself has been working toward.  One might even say that Naruto, in his boundless optimism and unbridled strength, is very similar to the League’s Superman.”  Spectre nodded to Naruto, who was opening and closing his mouth without any sound.  “But that is a discussion for another time.”

                “The chief inspiring link, however, came from two resonant portions of energy.  On your world you have a man seeking to attain godlike power, on this world another madman is seeking to do the same.  Though one considers it a form of rites and sacrifices and the other considers it a matter of science and experience, they are merely different aspects of the same thing.”  Again an ironic smile curved the man’s mouth.  “For example, while your madman considers his goal a great ‘jutsu’ the one from this world calls it an ‘equation.’”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke had always hated Lee’s ability to humiliate him in slow motion.  Though he could use the Sharingan to capture and imitate Lee’s mastery of taijutsu (and he was getting some beauties right now), he simply could not match the speed Lee had built up over so many years.  Basically, that meant he could watch himself get punched in slow motion.

                The punches rarely fully connected though.  Lee was faster than a two-tailed Bijuu, but Sasuke had fought the Raikage and lived.  Barely, perhaps, but he had still lived.  Sasuke knew how to roll with what he couldn’t avoid and take advantage of what he couldn’t.  Lee didn’t know it, but always training with weights left him slightly… unbalanced for the few occasions when he took them off.

                The other one in front of him—Robin, as Sasuke recalled—was another story altogether.  His attacks left few openings and he could usually compensate for the few that they did.  Each stroke was a balanced act of precision.  He might not have Lee’s speed, but he had some clever tricks that even the Sharingan couldn’t predict.  (It still didn’t seem to be working well on these).

                They were the only real problems, though.  Shino had had to duck out after Sasuke had burnt half his insects away, and Kiba didn’t seem to have Akamaru, which lessened his threat level from negligible to non-existent.  Sakura… well, Sasuke couldn’t really honestly consider her much of anything.

                The two fighters were getting annoying.  Time to kill them.  Summoning the necessary chakra, Sasuke cried, “ _Amaterasu_!”

                But they were already gone.  Instead, flames raked across the deserted stones until smashing against the wall at the far end.  Before he could quite process how they’d avoided it, the two fighters were back, smashing into his defense.  A series of blue and green shots alerted him to the arrival of the other ‘Titans.’

                “Enough of this.”  Sasuke muttered.  Both eyes flashed, and a partial Susanoo materialized around him.  Seventeen attacks from Lee and three from Robin smashed against it before realizing the futility and backing up.  Green and blue energy—the Sharingan told him it wasn’t chakra—pounded into the invincible barrier.

                A Susanoo gave him a moment to think.  The presence of his old comrades in this world meant Kakashi must have sent them all.  That was interesting.  In all probability, that was how the one ‘Batman’ had known about Konoha.  But were these all that had come?

                Naruto should be here.  He’d been the closest when the teleportation hit.   Neji also, and most likely Shikamaru.  All three were dangerous, why weren’t they here?  (Rapidly his mind also catalogued Sai, Ino, Chouji, Hinata, and Tenten as missing, but he did not spare much time on that).  Shikamaru was a master of distraction and misdirection.  What could he be doing with three such fighters?

                A sudden whirring noise was all the warning he had.

                Bone cracked and broke in a roaring whirlwind of green and black, tearing its way through the ribcage straight into Sasuke.  With an ease born from fighting Lee, Sasuke rolled with the strike, dodging the worst of it, and tumbled away on the ground.  _I should have made a flaming Susanoo_.  He reflected bitterly.  _Those at least kill people._

                Already his attacker was up and screaming.  Sasuke experienced a moment’s surprise on hearing Kiba’s voice.  “DUDE!  It worked!  It so totally WORKED!  That is awesome man, I never thought we’d actually…. Aw YEAH!”

                “Whaddaya mean, ‘it worked?’  Man, that killed!”  The green dog doubled over on the ground had its own opinion.  “How thick a skull does that Akamaru of yours HAVE, anyway?”

                Sasuke debated the importance of this conversation and concluded that it had none.  At least, certainly not in relation to the others rushing down on his position.  Glancing up, he sighted ten of them leaping in attack.  “Amera…”

                A curious thing happened.  Even before he’d begun saying the technique, Kiba had suddenly jerked around and leapt at him.  Though closer than the others, he still had no chance of attacking Sasuke before the inextinguishable black flames hit.  But Kiba did not seem to intend to.  His jacket, already half torn, whipped off in his hand and shot across Sasuke’s field of vision just as he said ‘Amaterasu.’

                The coat burst into flames.  The attackers on the other side continued on unharmed.

                _What the heck?_   Sasuke’s mind reeled in disbelief even as he punched Kiba and the bizarre green kid away.  _That was deliberately done to block my technique.  How did he know that?  How did he know that IN TIME to stop it?_

                For the moment Sasuke shelved the question in favor of the five or six dangerous warriors speeding toward him.  Lee’s foot came out of nowhere, Sasuke rolled away from it but nearly hit Cyborg’s sonic beam, green shots were coming down all around him, bugs were swarming…

                _Bad._   Sasuke’s mind decided.  _Need to get space to regroup.  How?  Kusanagi?_

                Then he remembered the twin Uzis stuck in his coat.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “It’s hard to explain the sensation.”  Luthor frowned, apparently feeling for words.  “It’s like… teleportation, I suppose, except you are not the one moving.  A consciousness of an object in transition between two possible destinations.  Whenever a teleportation occurred, I was instantly aware both of it and what it contained.  Instantly!  Almost as if I felt it enter my mind and wait while I planned what to do with it.”

                Keys clicked under Karin’s nervous fingers as she nodded to show her understanding.  In reality, she had NO idea what Luthor was talking about.  He’d suddenly come in for an inspection of the Juugo hybrids—which were progressing beautifully, actually—and then suddenly begun asking her about someone named ‘Gennosuke,’ a homicidal maniac he assumed she knew somehow.  When she’d protested her ignorance and asked what he wanted to know so badly for, he’d proceeded to give her a long talk… something about an equation and the antidote for life.  She did her best to follow it, but interdimensional physics had never been her strong point.

                But she had no intention of letting Luthor know that.  So she nodded.

                “It was amusing enough, and perfectly safe, to toy with the teleportations.  An explosion here, a missile there… oh, I poked at my old adversaries well enough.  But it was so petty.  So weak, in comparison with what I could do if gained the fragment itself, rather than merely respond to the gifts it sent me.”  Luthor mused a space.  “Very frustrating.  To be able to feel the power, but not grasp it.  I killed about three squads of men trying to teleport them to your world to retrieve it.  Once I even attempted the trip myself, but to no avail.”

                Karin’s mind stopped at that.  Luthor had tried to teleport to their world?  Was the teleporter still in the base?  Could she use it?  And then she remembered the explosive on her neck and resumed typing.

                “Finally, unexpectedly, a great chance came.”  Luthor’s voice took on a new tone.  “I had for some time known the nature of the missing fragment—a projector, a portal to fully implement my power over the entire world.  With delight, I one day felt such a projector in the eye of my unwary ally!  It was reaching out, attempting to seize a fragment like itself!  My missing piece was coming to me!  Eagerly I arranged it to arrive in my base for harvesting.”  He frowned suddenly.  “But something went wrong.  More came than I had reached for, and the Sharingan did not arrive here.”

                “Sharingan?”  Karin’s mind came to an abrupt halt.  “What does that have to do with Genno… OH!  You mean Sasuke!”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Cursing, Neji watched as his friends withered under the onslaught of the weapons in Sasuke’s hands.  He had seen these before—wielded by petty thieves in Jump City for bank robberies in such.  They were, in their own way, terrible weapons.  He could only imagine what Tenten would have thought about them.

                In the hands of Sasuke Uchiha, S-class missing nin and last true wielder of the Sharingan, they were living death.  The Titans had more experience with firearms than most of the ninjas, and avoided the worst of the fire.  Lee, for the most part, was too fast to be hit.  But Kiba, Sakura, and Shino  all went down, cut to pieces by Sasuke’s devastating reflexes and accuracy.  Even the survivors were being forced to give ground. 

                Neji wanted to go down there.  He wanted to help them.  But he couldn’t.  Sakura had assigned him a special role, and his teammates lives depended on his being able to fulfill it.

                So he could do nothing but watch as the Titan Cyborg broke loose from cover, roaring, bullets bouncing off his metallic skin, to charge and Sasuke.  The girl Raven too, curiously enough, seemed able to deflect bullets through her magic.  Both moved up the field, providing cover for the others.

                The Byakugan made everything crystal clear…  the battered form of Question safe in the Titans Jet, the dodging maneuvers of Robin and Starfire as they shot from cover to cover, the wavering chakras of the wounded ninjas on the ground, Lee’s curiously malformed coils… even the far-distant chakra networks of Sai and Chouji, swiftly falling under Batman’s assault, could be seen by the all-encompassing Byakugan.

                He could even watch Sasuke as the chakra paths in his head switched from the common blue to glowing red.

                “Amateratsu!”  He shouted, but it was unnecessary.  Quick as thought, Ino, right next to him, had seen the same and sent it on to the fighters.  Sakura, the closest to Sasuke, whipped her hand from her pouch and smashed some pellets to the ground.  Black Ameratsu flames erupted from the billowing clouds and then dissipated away.

                The observation post had been Sakura’s idea.  Neji had fought Sasuke in their last battle, and could see the special chakra employed in the different uses of the Mangekyo Sharingan.  Why the chakra was different, he didn’t know, but he did not seek to question it.  His knowledge allowed him to predict the attacks, and his predictions allowed him to save his teammates—through the telepathic agency of Ino.

                Theoretically, Amateratsu was quick as sight.  Not so.  Ameratsu required a momentary build-up before it could be employed, and then a split second before it’s usage and it’s actual affect.  A two-second warning, at best.  But the Byakugan was as quick as sight also, and Ino’s telepathy was as quick as thought.  A two second warning had been all they’d needed, so far.

                It was also Neji and Ino’s job to break the others out of a genjutsu if Sasuke employed one.  Reputedly, the Uchiha Tsukiyomi could destroy a person in a second, but by most accounts Sasuke had not yet mastered it, so they should be able to break anything he set up before the others were dead.  And again, there was the warning system.

                He needed to be careful, though.  Sasuke had glanced up at that shout he’d given…  he had to be suspecting something.  If they, the back-up plan failed, what would the front-lines do?

                They needed to hurry, whatever happened.  Not only were they losing ninjas, but Neji could see that Chouji and Sai had all but fallen now.  In a few seconds the defender of Gotham and his companion would be here.  _Although,_ he mused as he watched Starfire go spiraling from the sky, _their help might not be unwelcome._

                Regardless, a Konoha issue was a Konoha issue.  If someone from this dimension killed Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Ino might very well take it badly.  Or otherwise, which seemed more likely to Neji, if someone from this dimension SPARED Sasuke for some moronic reason, Sasuke might very well escape and cause the whole problem all over again.  The strike had to be here, now, before the heroes could interfere. 

A private part of Neji’s mind even wondered whether the Titans should be knocked out when the moment came.  They didn’t have much left, it was true, but if Ino could distract them with a mental… something, then he and Lee could probably take care of them in short order.  Of course, this would only be practical after Sasuke was down, so at the moment the point was sort of…

Suddenly Ino jerked convulsively and fell to the ground with a short gasp.  Neji didn’t even have time to stare at the holes in her chest before a salvo of bullets ripped into him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Events reached a crisis eventually, of course,” said Spectre, shrugging.  “The connections between your world and this were growing stronger and stronger.  A complete meld, which would have been disastrous for both, was imminent.  My guardianship kept such a convergence from occurring, but I still could do nothing against the disruptions themselves.  I knew my opponent was seeking to obtain the power of your world’s Sharingan, but I could do nothing against it.”

                Both ninjas reacted to the word ‘Sharingan.’  Naruto gave a great groan and buried his face in his hands, Hinata’s face simply crumpled in confusion.  “H-he… he wants the Sharingan?  Wh-wh-why w-w-would he w-w-want something like that?”

                “Does it make a difference?” Naruto spoke, voice slightly muffled by his hands.  “EVERYONE wants the Sharingan.  For something.  I’ll bet you there are people who collect whole roomfuls of them just for kicks.”

                 “Luthor requires the Sharingan for two reasons.”  The Spectre inclined his head.  “First, its genetic code contains the final pieces he needs for his Anti-Life equation.  Second, the Sharingan, used properly, can immediately project his influence over the earth.  At the moment his power is limited to his surroundings and those he can speak to, the Sharingan would allow him to seize omnipotence over this entire sphere instantly.”

                “Just tell me he’s not going to use it with the moon.”

                “So far as I know, the moon does not figure into his plan,” responded the Spectre, raising an eyebrow at Naruto.  “Why do you ask?”

                “Never mind.”  Naruto raised his head from his hands.  “So.  What was this crisis you were talking about?”

                “The crisis came when your Hokage aimed a teleportation jutsu at Sasuke’s Sharingan.   He intended to teleport only Sasuke, removing him from your world and—unwittingly—releasing him into ours.  Obviously he could not know of the disastrous effects this would have on our world.”  The Spectre shook his head.  “He had not yet learned that nothing _truly_ disappears… it must always go somewhere.  True, he had had neither time nor opportunity to consider what might happen, but he did not consider it his concern.”

                “He’s the Hokage of Konoha, not guardian of the Universe!”  Naruto protested.

                “Multiverse.  Or cosmos, more properly.”

                “Whatever!  The point is, it’s not his job to make sure dimensions don’t collide, it’s his job to protect the village, at all costs!  Protecting dimensions is _your_ job!”

                “Quite.”  If possible, the Spectre looked almost amused by Naruto’s tirade.  “But you must forgive my annoyance with your teacher for making my work much more difficult.  Still.  I must also thank him for the opportunity he gave me.”

                “O-o-oppurtunity?”

                “In such a crisis, I had to take action.  I could not stop the teleportation, but I could manipulate it to confuse Luthor’s plans.  One such manipulation was the juggling of places—I removed his goal from its intended destination and placed it beyond his reach.  Another such manipulation was your _own_ teleportation.”

                The words hung in the air.  Hinata gasped as Naruto leapt to his feet.  “Do you mean _you’re_ the reason we got ended up in this crazy, spandex-clad, ramen-forsaken world?”

                The Spectre blinked.  “Did I not say that at the beginning?  Indeed I am responsible for your presence on this world.  I needed intermediaries, allies…”

                “…friends,” interjected Rev. McCay.

                “…I needed help against Luthor.”  Spectre shot a glare at McCay, who merely smiled.  “As I said, his power was already paramount to my own, no small feat.  A few pebbles were needed to tip the balance.  So, as your teacher focused on Sasuke, I expanded his range, fed on his power, and included you all in the teleportation.”  He frowned suddenly.  “I did miss the dog.  But that, too, has turned out for the best.  And now, here you all are, players in a grand chess game.”  Offering an ironic smile, he added, “How does it feel to be a pawn?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Sakura-san!  Sakura-san!  You must get up!”

                Sakura groaned, pushing herself against the ground.  “…leg… burns like… oh my…”

                “You must get up, Sakura-san!”  Lee’s voice continued to insist.  It bobbed and wavered around her in an odd manner  “It is not safe here!  You must escape!  I will hold him off!”

                “You…?”  Slowly Sakura’s vision cleared.  Very close to her, a green blur shot around a most-annoyed Sasuke, who aimed two blazing Uzi’s in any direction he seemed to think it would attack from.  The blood splattering across the cement showed his guesses were not wholly inaccurate.

                Slowly Sakura saw other things too.  The half-man Cyborg lay on the ground a few paces away, both metallic legs cut out from under him, the sword Kusanagi wedged in his sonic cannon.  Just behind him Sakura could see the girl Raven, rocking in the throes of some genjutsu-induced nightmare.  And ahead of both, on the other side of Lee, lay Robin, his uniform badly singed and his cape still burning with black fire.

                Black fire…?

                Crap.  Neji must be down.  Ino must be down.  And now that she glanced around her, she saw also Shino and Kiba, collapsed against the pavement, blood painting it a new color. Beside Kiba lay Beast Boy.  Farther beyond, she could see a blot of orange slumped against the opposite wall.

                All out.  All unconscious.  Some possibly dead now, all certainly dead later when Sasuke got around to it.  All of them dead, for her failing.

                This could not be borne. 

                Distantly she felt the regeneration jutsu kicking in, vaguely she felt the individual cells reforming and knitting themselves back together, closing around the bits of metal lodged in her abdomen. 

                “Sakura-san!”

                She did not get up, not yet.  Her muscles were coiling, readying themselves as they found footholds on the ground.  But she gave no warning, gave no hint to the man blasting away at her friend.  He would have no warning until she leapt at him, arms flailing and smashing and grinding his skull into dust.

                Sasuke swore and turned his back to deliver a fresh salvo at the infuriating green blur.

_NOW!_

_…_

_NOW!_

_…_

_NOW, YOU FOOL, NOW, WHILE HIS BACK IS TURNED!  KILL HIM!_

                And yet Sakura stayed slump on the ground, muscles coiled, feet braced, hands around a kunai, watching the blood fly as Sasuke shot away at a green blur.

                She could not do it. 

She could not do it and even as she hated herself for not being able to do it, she still could not.  Images of a three teammates, three… friends, almost, playing together in Konoha flashed through her mind.  A declaration made, a squeeze of comfort given, an unexpected protectiveness, a terrifyingly bittersweet farewell, and a heartbreaking promise…

She could not.  Whether because of the memories or because of herself she didn’t know, but she could not kill Sasuke.

And she hated herself.

“Sakura-san!”

But she could not let Lee die.  She might not be able to kill Sasuke, but she could also not let him kill Lee, or any of the others.  She had to… but how?

“Sakura… no!”

Sakura glanced upward to see the dark barrel of a gun.

“You know, Lee, I just realized something.”  Sasuke’s voice, calm and cold seemed almost to come from the gun.  “You’re strong and fast, a great deal faster than I.  Even without jutsus you are a formidable opponent.  But you still share the same weakness as all men.  You have too many bonds.”

Lee materialized from his blur for a moment.  Sasuke shot at him, but Lee blurred away to another spot.  “You cannot.  Do not shoot…”

“I cannot shoot you, maybe, but I can still shoot _her_.”  Now Sakura saw his face, coldly leering over the sights of the Uzi.  “And seeing as how you’re prepared to die to get her out of here, I can’t help but think you’d die to prevent that.”

“I would.”

“So.  Our aims agree then.”  Sasuke again shot at Lee’s form and again missed.  “Stay still for three seconds together, or I shoot her.”

An idea flooded into Sakura’s mind.  A beautiful, righteous idea.

“You’ll shoot her anyway.”  Lee’s voice sounded wary, with a hint of despair.

“Perhaps.”  Sasuke shrugged.  “Perhaps not.  But if I do it now, it will be your fault.”

The idea continued.  She loved it.  It was so proper, so fittingly JUST.

“I… I…”

“Lee.”  Sakura spoke.  “Don’t do it.”

Lee materialized for three seconds, long enough for Sasuke to shoot at him and for him to stare at Sakura, bewildered, before blurring away.  “Sakura-san?”

“Don’t stop.”  She answered, muscles tensing.  “Don’t stop attacking him, don’t let up, keep on pounding him into the ground until there’s nothing left.”

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow.  Lee’s voice came from the blur.  “Sakura-san?”

“Don’t stop Lee.”  Sakura tensed her muscles one final time, staring into the barrel of the gun.  “Kill him… for me.”

And she leapt straight into the Uzi.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “I don’t yet know what caused the interference.”  Luthor frowned in thought.  “But as trivial as the interference itself might be, the ramifications have turned out to be much larger than I had anticipated.  Now the League stands aware of my survival and my aims, and a host of other, bothersome dimensional travelers like yourself stall me in quest of my true prey.  I must find Gennosuke, quickly, before another does.”

                “I… see.”  Shikamaru answered, mind reeling.  World-control jutsus, teleportation interference, the whole business being messed up with Sasuke’s Sharingan…  It was far too much to take in at once.  What exactly had he gotten himself into?

                The man above, noticing his expression, gave a dark chuckle.  “Happy to know at last the stakes you are playing for, eh?  Beware, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but perfect knowledge is truly terrifying.”

                “Hardly terrifying.”  Shikamaru managed, annoyed at having shown his expression so clearly.  “I’ve dealt with worse.  Anyway, what motivation do I have to help you with Gennosuke?  Maybe he’s already been found by someone else?  Then your whole plan is pretty shot to ribbons, isn’t it?”

                “Hardly.”  Luthor smiled.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Even if Gennosuke has been taken by another already, he shall eventually make his way to me,” explained Luthor to Tenten over the roar of explosive pellets.  “Indeed, he has already been reaching out to me with his mind.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Nature abhors a vacuum.”  Luthor shrugged to a confused Juugo.  “And an equation demands completion.  He shall seek me just as I have sought him.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Before long, I shall…”  Luthor stopped in mid-sentence to stare at Karin.  “Sasuke?  You said his name was Sasuke?”

                Karin silently cursed her big mouth by all the ten gods that she didn’t believe in.

 

* * *

 

 

                Shikamaru watched, uncomprehending, as Luthor’s face above him grew dark.  “Also, it appears you have lied to me about your companion’s name.”  He spat at Shikamaru.  “Why did you do that, Mr. Nara?  I thought you were no friend of this ‘Sasuke.’”

                “I’m not.”  Shikamaru shrugged, doing an internal cursing rant of his own.  “Just wanted to see how much you really knew about him.  Heck, if you didn’t even know his name…”  he arched an eyebrow, “…doesn’t really give me much confidence in this ‘all-knowing-ness’ of yours.  Explain to me again why I should help someone who doesn’t even know the name of the person he’s looking for?”

                Luthor’s face grew nearly purple.  “You will regret that, Mr. Nara.”  He hissed, drawing out a remote.  “You will regret that very much indeed.”

                _Maybe,_ thought Shikamaru as the electricity ripped through his body.  _But the look on your face was priceless._

 

* * *

 

 

                It hurt to breathe.

                It hurt to breathe or talk or move or really do ANYTHING except lie there and try not to move her midsection with the little burning pieces of metal inside, but she had to try.  She had to try because that had been Sakura that had just screamed down there, and Ino HAD to know if Sakura was okay.

                With great difficulty, pain shooting up and down her body, Ino tilted her head and blinked at the battlefield below.  She passed over the Titan and ninja wounded to Sakura, who lay crumpled at Sasuke’s feet.  In her hand was a crushed Uzi, the middle of it nearly blown apart.  Ino was later to hear of the danger of firing while the barrel of a gun was obstructed, right now all she could see was the right side of Sakura’s face, badly burnt from the explosion.  The pretty pink hair that floated in the breeze was partially burnt.

                Lee was screaming.  Lee was screaming and attacking and pummeling Sasuke’s leaping form, but he wasn’t getting anything substantial in, and even as Ino watched, a flaming Susanoo ribcage surrounded Sasuke, just in time for Lee’s green-spandex-clad leg to come crashing into it.  Seventeen attacks later, Lee lay writhing on the ground, covered in black flames.

                Ino started to cry.  They’d lost.  Again.  They had all lost and now Sasuke was going to kill them all before anyone could get here.  As her eyes lolled to the back of her head her mind set out a last desperate call for help…

 

 

* * *

 

                “Whaddaya mean, _pawn?_ ”  Naruto was shouting at the trenchcoat-clad angel.   “I’m no pawn!  I’m gonna be the next Hokage of Konoha, dattebayo, and don’t you forget it!”

                “And what shall you do once that has been achieved?”

Naruto gaped at the strange question unable to think of any answer. 

Nodding, the angel continued, “To the man living for an ambition, the only thing more terrible than failing that ambition is succeeding in it.  Not only because he no longer knows what to live for, but because often, the ambition turns out not to be as fulfilling as he had hoped.”

                “Some people, in an effort to solve this dilemma, would tell you that the goal is not as important as the struggle to get there.”  Snorting, the man observed, “they are, of course, wrong.  But the point stands that living for oneself, or even for a temporary goal such as ‘becoming Hokage’ is a limited vision.  One must always seek to be a servant, a pawn, of something higher than oneself.”

                “Actually, it’s something of a comforting thought occasionally,” observed McCay from the doorway.  “Knowing that the world doesn’t ACTUALLY rest on your shoulders, even if it seems to.”

                “Indeed,” nodded Spectre.  “One could even argue that it is impossible not to be a pawn of some kind, either of destiny or to your own self, for could…”

                “Naruto!”  Hinata suddenly jolted to her feet, her chair crashing to the floor.  “Ino is…”

                “Yeah, I felt it too.”  Naruto, already up, was grabbing for her hand.  “Look, Mr. Spectre, fun talking to you but we gotta run it’s a long way and all and we…”

                “We don’t have to run.” Hinata suddenly grabbed him with both hands, eyes glowing.  “ _For they that wait upon him shall mount up on wings as eagles…”_

“Hinata?”  Naruto eyed his muttering friend.  “What’re you…”

                “ _If I go into heaven you are there, if I descend into the pit there you are also_ …”

                “Hinata?  Wha… WAH!”

                The room dissolved around them in a blaze of light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be clear, none of the teenagers are dead. I only clarify that because the first time I wrote this, a lot of people thought they died, and I never meant to give that impression.
> 
> We're coming up on some of my favorite chapters.


	17. Devastation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Hinata join the battle against Sasuke, but things only get worse. The Kyuubi and the Susanoo battle it out, but Hinata has a role to play that even she does not yet know.

 

                “You didn’t mention anything about that chubby one being able to grow like that.”  Wonder Woman stated accusingly as she floated back to ground level, a limp Chouji dangling from one hand.  “Or breathe fire.”

                “Last time we met, he couldn’t.  Or at least didn’t.”  Batman clicked handcuffs around an equally comatose Sai.  “Must not have had the stamina for it.  Anyway, doesn’t seem to have slowed you down any.”

                Diana shrugged.  “People who grow bigger are just easier to hit.  The flame-throwing was a little unsettling, but not bad.  You?”

                “A competent fighter, very unique style.”   Batman straightened up.  “Still, no problem.  They were intended to delay us, nothing more.”

                “They did that well enough.  I didn’t exactly see where that jet went.”

                “No need.” Batman fished out a small datapad and tapped the screen a few times.  “Radar shows they’re hovering over the Narrows.”  He tossed the pad to Diana.  “Get down there, I’ll follow on the Batmobile.”

                Diana needed no further urging and shot off into the sky.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The power was warm, fulfilling.  It surged through her veins and pulsed through her flesh, pushing through her ears, eyes, mouth.  She felt a slight tingling sensation across her teeth as the whiteness roared about her and Naruto.  In her mind, she instantly felt the church, the city, the warehouse where Ino lay and all the intervening space between, and just as instantly felt exactly where they ought to go.  She focused on that point… and there they were.

                There was no stumbling, no sudden rushing sensation… if anything, the world felt as though it moved around them and adjusted to fit them in.  In fact, as Hinata only noticed a little while later, they materialized in a spot of rubble made perfectly even to accommodate them.

                At the time, though, there was too much new information to handle already.  Hinata felt the strange awareness fading from her, along with the warmth of the power, and realized with a shock that they were no longer in Jump City, but in Gotham.  More particularly, she realized they were in a warehouse—or what used to be one—standing right next to the fallen Ino, looking out over a debris-strewn battlefield, dotted with the fallen forms of their teammates.

                “Hinata, what—where—how…?”  Naruto gaped about at their surroundings, more lost than her.  “What did you… what?”

                “I… think I just teleported us to Ino’s signal.”  Hinata admitted hesitantly.  Suddenly realizing that Ino was leaking blood over the ground, she fell to her knees, letting out a little scream.  “Ino!”

                Apparently she screamed too loud, for on the other side of the field, a head whipped around and red eyes smouldered.  “Naruto?  You again?”

                “Sasuke?”  Now Naruto was completely lost.  “What are…”

                Whatever Naruto had been about to say, Sasuke did not let him finish.  In his eye flashed in the Mangekyo Sharingan, releasing the deadly black flames of Amaterasu.

                Neither Hinata nor Naruto saw the attack coming.  But unbidden, Hinata felt the warmth flood through her temples and push out.  The flames crashed against a globe of whitish-gold light, before being blown away like so many shreds of cloud.  It was over before either Naruto or Hinata realized what was happening.

                Of course, once Naruto DID realize it, his eyes flashed and he whipped out a kunai, moving forward in front of Hinata.  “You bastard.”  He hissed.  “You did this again?”

                From across the destroyed warehouse, Sasuke shrugged and pulled Kusanagi free of Cyborg’s remains.  “Wasn’t my idea.  They came hunting me, not me them.  I didn’t even know that the rest of you were even ON this world.  Still.”  He glanced around at the huddled bodies.  “It’s just as well, I suppose.  I was getting bored.”

                “Bastard,” hissed Naruto again.  His eyes were slowly turning an odd shade of yellow, and touches of orange could be seen on his eyelids.  From her position on the ground, Hinata could do little but stare, apparently Naruto had been practicing his sage mode.  “If you’ve harmed them I’ll…”

                “I already did.”  Sasuke interrupted him.  “In fact I should be surprised if several of them weren’t dead by now.   Lee did quite impressively, I must…”

                The conversation was broken off at this point as a blue and white blur shot from the sky.  Sasuke tried to dodge, but a woman who could block bullets with her hands was not easily avoided.  Wonder Woman crashed into Sasuke full-on, barreling him out of the warehouse and off back again into the sky.

                For a second, Naruto just gaped.  Then he leapt after them.  “I have NO idea what is going on here.”  He growled.  “Hinata!  Stay here and take care of the others!”

                “But…”  Naruto was already gone.  For some reason she couldn’t quite define, Hinata felt a trifle deflated.  That made no sense, of course.  It wasn’t like she could have actually helped him against Sasuke, and obviously someone needed to stay here to look after the others.

                Others…

                Hinata let out a little gasp as she remembered the bleeding Ino at her feet.  Quickly she rolled the girl over and examined the wounds.  Very odd ones… tiny holes that bled with surprising strength.  She needed to stop it, bind it up somehow.  Quickly she placed her hands over the wound, pressing down…

                This time the warmth bubbled up from her heart, shot out her hands.  She was getting a better feel for it now.  It was almost tangible as it flooded into Ino, clogging her blood and reknitting the muscle.  Hinata felt the heart pump with new strength, saw the lungs rise and fall.

                Ino opened her eyes.  “Hi-na-ta?”  she croaked.  “Wha… how did you…?”

                “We came as quickly as we could once we got your message.” Hinata answered.  The bleeding seemed to have stopped, so she stood up.  “Just lay and rest for a while, I need to see to the others…”

                “No wait… hang on a… I think, I think…”  Ino slowly clambered to her feet.  “…I think I’m fine, actually.”

                Hinata blinked at her.  “R-really?”

                “Yeah.”  Ino frowned at her belly and the three white scars there.  “Winded like hell, and exhausted but… I’m actually okay.   Let me help you.”

                Every thing in Hinata's medical training screamed against it.  Ino used medical jutsu, which used chakra, and clearly Ino didn’t have much of that left.  But she DID look okay, and Hinata DID need help.  “Take care of Neji, and see how you feel then.”  Hinata pointed at her cousin, lying in a crumpled heap next to Ino.  “Try not to move too much.”

                Receiving a short nod, Hinata leapt over to the others. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _This kid is fast!_   Diana thought as the wind whipped past her.  _He nearly dodged me!_

                She’d seen the confrontation from about a mile away.  Superman’s opponent Naruto, and someone who she could only assume was Uchiha Sasuke.    A girl too, but that meant little just at the moment, because it didn’t take Athena’s wisdom to see a clash between two opponents like THAT would cause citywide devastation. 

Despite her private yearning to go in swinging, Diana had to prioritize.  Save the city.  Prevent destruction.  Keep insurance rates down.  (It still puzzled her sometimes how important Bruce thought that was).  And, in this case, get one of the two teenagers OUT of the city before they blew it up.  If the other followed, good, if not, Bruce could probably get him.

It was just as well that she’d been aiming to grab and not to punch.  With dodging like that, her punch would never have fully connected.  A simple grapple hold, on the other hand, didn’t need to be exact to be effective.  They were nearly out of the city already.

That didn’t change the fact that the kid was fast, though.  Flying through the air HAD to be new for him, and yet he was fighting like…

Electricity tore through her system, convulsing her body.  She jerked, swerved, nearly fell from the sky but recovered herself just in time.  She had to get him out of the city.  Looking down at the teens cold eyes, she shouted, “If I fall, you do too!”

The kid sneered back.  “ _Omae koso, mesuinu_.”

Right.  Japanese.

Another burst of electricity shot through her, dazzling her eyes for a moment with pain.  Again she wavered, swerved, lost altitude.  She couldn’t tell whether the kid was insane or suicidal.  It would be so simple to smash him against the ground… but no.  That was not the League way.  That was not Batman’s way.  Besides, the way the kid was acting, perhaps he COULD fly.  They were nearly out of the city now…

A third jolt shot through her, the strongest by far.  Involuntarily, she cried out and tumbled toward the ground.  Eyes sparkling with pain, she gathered all her strength and threw the offending teenager clear of the city.

Before she blacked out completely, she saw two things.  One was her fugitive landing with surprising agility on one of the taller buildings, ducking into a roll to absorb momentum, and continue leaping toward the city limits.

The other was a blur of orange as a familiar blonde shot past her.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A short once-over made her gasp.  Lee was on fire!  Dropping to the ground, she dashed over, readying a Suiton jutsu.  It was only AFTER she sprayed water all over the writhing shinobi that she realized the flames were black.

                Drat.  What now?  Hovering helplessly about, she studied the situation.  Amaterasu flames could eat at the victim slowly or quickly, depending on the users preference.  Sasuke seemed to have opted for the slow death, only Lee’s skin had been burnt so far.  But what good did that do if she couldn’t put the flames out?  Biting her lip, she reached into her pouch and withdrew a special senbon.  The poison would work quickly, with little pain…

                Suddenly an idea flashed on her.  The globe of light had blocked the flames Sasuke had shot at them.  AND extinguished them.  Could she perhaps do that again?

                Hopefully, she reached out a hand, waiting for the familiar warmth.  Nothing.  She reached further, inching closer to the black tongues of flame.  Still nothing.  Swallowing and gritting her teeth, she plunged her hand into the flames and began to beat down.

                It hurt.  Horribly.  She couldn’t tell whether the warmth she felt in her palms was the power or the fire.  But the flames caught neither on her skin or clothes, and it actually seemed to be working.  A minute or so of frenzied fire-beating, and the black flames had all but disappeared from Lee’s moaning body.  Hinata, panting a little, sat back and glanced at her hands.  They had not a mark on them.

                “H-how d-did-d you d-do that?”

                Hinata turned to face a bedraggled Sakura, already struggling to her feet.  “I… I don’t know.”  She admitted, staring at her hands again.  “It just… happened.”  Suddenly realizing something, she turned on Sakura.  “Sakura-san, you are hurt!”

                “I’m fine.”  Sakura closed her eyes wearily.  “Unfortunately.”  She felt about in her pouch and, finding a soldier pill, popped it into her mouth.  “Not nearly enough, but it’ll have to do.  My chakra’s nearly all used up after sensei’s regeneration technique.”  She struggled over to Kiba and her hands lit up.  “Take care of Robin.”  She called back.  “He got hit with Amaterasu too.”  Hinata obediently scrambled over to the crime-fighter’s red form.  “Is Naruto here?”

                “He was.  He’s off chasing Sasuke and the flying lady right now.”

                “Agh.”  Sakura gave a little hiss of pain.  “He’s probably mad at us, isn’t he.”

                “I… I don’t really know.  We came as soon as we got Ino’s message, we didn’t…  really have time.”

                “Ino contacted you?”  Sakura’s voice took on a note of interest.  “That was smart of her.  We tried to find you guys with the Titan’s monitor system, you know.  But you didn’t show up anywhere.”

                “R-really?”  Hinata frowned.  “That’s weird.”

                “Izzat Hinata?”  Kiba’s slurred voice broke in.  “Whaz she doin’ here?”

                “Helping.”  Sakura responded.  “Done with you for now.  Stay, Kiba.”  She moved away from the Inuzuka and struggled toward the green shapeshifter next to him.  “Where were you guys?”

                “U-um…”  Hinata bit her lip.  “N-nowhere… sp-special.  Th-the tr-tr-trackers must not have been working correctly.”  A groan from Robin alerted her that she was nearly done.  “S-sorry.  W-we c-came as quickly as we could.”

                A quick glance in Sakura’s direction showed her that the girl was shaking her head, and even seemed to be crying.  “We should have waited for you,” came the answer, slightly muffled.  “We should have tried harder to… we should have waited.”

                Hinata blinked, not sure she completely understood.  After ensuring that Robin was recovered, she stood up.  “I’ll go help Starfire.”  She volunteered.

                “I can take care of this.  You should go help Naruto.”

                Once again biting back the strange impulse, Hinata shook her head.  “I’d be in the way.  You’re still too wounded to take care of everyone here by yourself.”

                “She’s not by herself.”

                Both girls whipped around at the gravelly voice.  A grim-looking  Batman picked himself up from an apparent diagnosis of Robin.  “I assume there’s an explanation for this?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke skidded to a halt as an orange blur landed in front of him.  “You’ve gotten faster, _dobe_.”  He smirked.

                “I run faster when I’m mad.”  Naruto replied through gritted teeth.  They stood in an abandoned lot, surrounded on all sides by the crushed debris from whatever had once stood there.  Directly behind Sasuke loomed the Gotham skyline, behind Naruto stretched the open sky. “That’s the last time I let you slice up any of my friends.”

                “One or two of them, definitely, unless Sakura’s learned some new tricks.  You could just tell them to stop chasing me.”

                “They wouldn’t listen.  And don’t even bother pretending that you wouldn’t come after them anyway, Sasuke.”  Naruto’s eyes narrowed.  “Last we met, you were dead-set on destroying Konoha.  You pretending that’s changed somehow?”

                Sasuke’s own eyes narrowed.  “Konoha…” his hand slipped into his cloak and whipped out his sword, “…will PAY for what they have done to the Uchihas!  To Itachi!”

                Naruto leapt back, dodging around the sword, shooting kunai in at the raging Uchiha.  “Dude, YOU were the guy who killed Itachi.  Against the advice of Kakashi-sama and practically everyone IN Konoha.”

                Electricity formed a Chidori  around Sasuke’s hand.  “Do not DARE to speak to me of Itachi!  You do not DESERVE to speak his name!”

                “What, as opposed to you?  The guy who killed him?”  Naruto snorted, forming a Rasengan in his hand.  “I’ll talk of whoever I like, _teme_.” 

                The two shot at each other, attacks readied.  They collided perfectly, the two jutsus creating an enormous shockwave blowing both backward, away  from each other.  Sasuke whipped himself to his feet and readied another Chidori.   

                “You know…”  said Naruto, staring thoughtfully at Sasuke.  “Remember that one thing you said once about how a true warrior can know everything about his opponent by exchanging a single blow?”

                “Yeah.  So?”

                “Well, we’ve done that now.  I think I understand you.”

                Sasuke rolled his eyes.  “And?”

                “You’re a jerk.”  Naruto shot forward again, another Rasengan in his hand.

                Sasuke easily dodged Naruto’s Rasengan and thrust his chidori into Naruto… who disappeared with a poof and became a log.  Whipping around on pure instinct, Sasuke just barely managed to catch the REAL Naruto  in mid-attack by the arm and whip him into the ground.  The pavement erupted under the Rasengan’s impact, churning tons of dust and debris.  Leaping into the fog, Sasuke sought out Naruto’s chakra signature and sliced down at it, but Naruto practically blurred away from him.

                “You HAVE gotten faster.”  Sasuke grinned.  “At least you’ve finally realized I’m not coming back to Konoha.  What happened to that slow knucklehead who always gave the pep talks before fights?”

                “He’s still in here somewhere.  The  part of me that just saw all my friends bleeding over the pavement told him to shut up for a second or two.”

                “That reminds me.”  Sasuke reached into his coat and pulled out the Uzi.  “This thing is turning out to be even more useful than I expected.”

                A stream of bullets, aimed with pinpoint accuracy, whizzed toward Naruto, ripping through his coat.

                Sasuke watched with a twinge of disappointment as they ricocheted harmlessly off Naruto’s skin.  Cocking his head, the blonde remarked.  “You do realize I’m in Sage mode, right?  Invincibility and all that?”

                Grunting, Sasuke tossed the gun aside.   “That thing’s no fun anyway.  Shakes all over the place, impossible to aim.”

                “What makes you think it’s the gun?”  Naruto smirked.  “How’s your eyesight these days, Sasuke?”

                Sasuke froze.  Slowly his head came around to stare at Naruto.  “And why would you ask me something like that?”

                To his credit, Naruto tried to keep his shrug nonchalant.  “I just remember your brother had bad eyesight, that’s all.  Was wondering how you were doing.”

                Sasuke drew a deep breath as his eyes spiraled wildly.  “I thought I told you…”  Black flame began to  gather about him, drawing up into a ribcage, arms, legs, muscles, “…that you were NEVER to speak of Itachi!”

                Roaring, the black, flaming form of Susanoo filled the sky, Sasuke’s form invisible within its impenetrable body.  Naruto just barely dodged the enormous flaming blade as it plunged into the pavement.

                “ **My eyesight is fine, dobe** ,” roared Susanoo.  “ **Now let’s see how your running is**.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “The situation is controlled, there’s no reason to inform Mr. Luthor about it yet,” reasoned the analyst.  “He left in a great hurry, I don’t think he would appreciate being interrupted for something trivial like this.”

                His associate bit his lip nervously.  “I… suppose so.  But are you sure it’s safe for her to be firing that gun like that?”

                The observation booth the two stood in was thoroughly blast-shielded and sound-proofed.  Even so, the dull roar of explosive rounds trembled the floor just ever so slightly.  They stood overlooking Tenten’s weapon-testing session, where Luthor had abruptly left her a few minutes ago.  Without pause, the girl was pouring one shot after another onto the concrete target before her.

                The first analyst considered a moment.  “There’s nothing behind that wall she’s firing at, except more concrete and solid bedrock.  And even without that, the target can easily stand up against that kind of barrage for some time.  This IS the weapons range, after all.”

                “But she’s been firing explosive rounds for a solid five minutes now.  I mean, rapidly.”

                “Yes.  Tell me, does that gun usually fire that fast?”

                “Well… yes, it does.  Generally it stops every twenty rounds or so to adjust the aiming, but I think we took that away to mess up her accuracy.  Mr. Luthor doesn’t want her getting too good with these, remember.”

                “Hm.”  There was a short pause, broken only by the series of explosions still reverberating from the chamber.  “It’s a rather impressive rate of fire.”

                “Oh it is.  They have to chain-feed the rounds, which, for fragmentation shells like these, can be rather expensive.”  The other frowned momentarily.  “She’s wasting a fortune down there.”

                The analyst shrugged.  “So far as I know, Mr. Luthor has no interest in fortunes.  He IS interested in keeping this prisoner happy.  Just let her keep firing, I suppose, she should tire of it eventually.  How much longer does she have with that gun.”

                “About fifteen minutes.”  The other checked his watch.  “Thirteen I suppose, if you want to get picky.”

                “Well, just leave her alone.  She’s not doing any harm, and if it amuses her, so much the better.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “ **This gambit ceases to amuse me, dobe**.”  Susanoo rumbled.  “ **I can destroy clones of you all day.  Why doesn’t the real you just come out and face me**?”

                “Here I am!”  A poof transformed a rock into an orange blonde, who leapt at the flaming giant.  “Eat this, teme!”

                “ **Tch**.”  Susanoo flicked a finger and the blonde disappeared in another wiff of smoke.  “ **Give me some credit.  That’s not you.  Not annoying enough.  Start appearing already, or I’m going to head back to the city and smash down a few buildings.** ”

                “Batman’d stop you.”  Another blonde claimed, rising from a pile of ash.

                “ **Is he here too?  No matter.  Impenetrable defense is impenetrable**.”  Susanoo destroyed the new blonde with a flick of his finger.  “ **Honestly, Naruto, you were never one to hide from a fight, least of all with me.  What on earth is taking you so long this time?”**

                “Nothing much.”  Susanoo turned with an almost bored air toward the new voice.  “Just this.”

                An orange streak tore across the pavement, a whirling disk of pure chakra in his hand.  It left his hand, went shooting at the black flaming giant with breathtaking speed.  Roaring, the black flames leapt to meet it and then…

                There was a sickening crack.

                Susanoo stumbled back a step or two and glanced down.  A wide gash had been torn in its side, white blood seeping from the wound as the flames wavered weakly around it.  He looked back at Naruto with something between wonder and rage.  “ **You… hurt me**.”

                For his part, Naruto simply stood there, panting, looking slightly disappointed.  “Aw… man!  Only… that… much?”

                “ **YOU HURT ME!** ”  Susanoo roared, swinging his sword in a flaming arc.  “YOU SHALL PAY!”

                Again the orange streak raced across the lot, one step ahead of the raging destruction in his wake.  Time after time the sword crashed behind him, time and time again the great flaming arrows dove into the ground about him.

                “You… you know…”  Naruto panted as he raced along, “being ungodly huge doesn’t really help if your aiming stinks.  And if you’re as slow as molasses.  That Susanoo thing really doesn’t seem to be helping you any, Sasuke.”

                “ **Says the man fleeing for his life**.”  Susanoo snorted.  “ **It may not make attacking you easier, but it allows me to fully decide the proper way to kill you.  And I note that you’re not looking so terribly well yourself**.”

                He was right, Naruto knew.  A terrible hitch was developing in his side, and several hits were getting dangerously close.  Privately, he wondered why Sasuke hadn’t just pulled an Ameratsu and killed him already.

                Quickly he made his decision, and, bringing his fingers up in a familiar seal, bought himself some time.

                **“MORE Kage Bunshins?  Come, Naruto, you’re not even trying**.”  Susanoo began to lay right and left into the crowd of Narutos, engulfing the battlefield in smoke.  Some of Naruto’s clones seemed to be trying to stay alive for once, they leapt away from the blade and _shunshin_ ed around the battlefield.  “ **This is REALLY getting annoying**.”

                “Then let’s liven it up some!”  chorused the clones.  “Rasengan barrage!”

                Susanoo didn’t even bother moving as the army of clones leapt at him, a Rasengan in each hand.  He just watched disinterestedly as they hit the armor of flame and _poof_ ed out of existence.  “What, exactly, was that supposed to accomplish?”

                “Distraction!”  Before Sasuke could blink, another whirling Rasenshuriken flew out of the rubble and buried itself in Susanoo’s midsection.  Close on its heels, into the gap of flame, leapt two Narutos, rasengans in hand.  “Rasengan barrage, Part II!” 

                Two rasengans hit, but unfortunately, hit the shield that Sasuke whipped in front of them, rather than the gaping slash they had been aiming for.  They disappeared from existence with a dismal poof.

                “ **Well, that was a better try, but still ultimately doomed**.”  Susanoo turned to the remaining Naruto with a malicious grin.  “ **Looks like you’re out of Sage chakra now… this should be interesting**.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “ J’onn, it’s interesting and all that the one Yamanaka girl has developed telepathic powers, but you’re kinda getting off topic.  Do you have anything more about the Life Equation?”

                Blinking at the irate Green Lantern, J’onn answered.  “But… you see, that’s exactly it.  I’ve been training the girl how to harness her powers… seal her mind from the world,  only enter those she wishes to, read surface thoughts, drive deeper to find out necessary information…”

                “J’onn.”   Superman massaged his forehead.  “The Life Equation?”

                “Ah.  Yes.  You see, in the course of training her, I remembered something.  The Life Equation is closely tied with Martian physiology.  Indeed, I’m inclined to think it may have given the Martians their unique capabilities.”

                “Do you mean that the equation explained enough for the old Martians to genetically engineer shapeshifting Martians?”  Mr.  Terrific was also present.

                “Not… precisely.  More that knowledge of the equation, or partial knowledge, enabled them to gain a new control over their bodies.”

“Oh, for the love of…”  Mr. Terrific threw up his hands.  “How many times do we need to reiterate this?  Math is math.  What you’re doing here is ABSTRACT math.  Pure ideas, no application as yet.  By their nature, they have no influence on reality until they are applied!”

The corner of the Martian’s mouth twitched.  “You will forgive me, but for me the line between reality and idea is significantly blurred.  For me, ideas shape who I am… whether I am in this form, my Martian form, or an intangible form.  I am, in many ways, a thought embodied in the physical realm.”

“Except for fire.”

“Except for fire.”  J’onn agreed.  “Also, the child Ace, whom we dealt with in the past, could shape the fabric of reality with her thought.  Ideas and reality are very close for her and I.”

“But that’s because of your powers.”  Green Lantern frowned.  “The ideas themselves would mean nothing without your abilities.”

J’onn shrugged.  “Possibly.  Unfortunately, I am unable to appreciate the difference as fully as you are, as, I imagine, would Ace.”

“All right, all right.”  Superman waved.  “Just… continue with what you were saying earlier.”

“Well,” said J’onn with a cough.  “Summed up simply, it is this.  The Anti-Life equation allows you control of the world around you—people, terrain, circumstances.  The LIFE equation, I believe, allows one complete control over one’s self.”

“As in, one’s body and one’s thoughts.”  Terrific was once again listening.  “Assuming that the Anti-Life equation actually DOES do what it’s reputed to do, I suppose I can see the resemblance.  But how do you mean it’s in your physiology?  Buried in your subconscious, do you mean?”

“Possibly.”  Once again J’onn looked a trifle sheepish.  “I am afraid I was more thinking of the equation was buried in my body—my genetic code, perhaps.”

Mr. Terrific closed his eyes and counted to ten.  “Genetic code isn’t that kind of code, trust me.  How is an EQUATION supposed to be buried in your body?  It’s an idea, it’s intangible.  Your body isn’t.”

“Only when I want it to be.”

Before Terrific could comment on that, an intense beeping filled the room.  “Excuse me, Superman?”  Steel’s anxious voice filled the room.  “I know you said you didn’t want to be disturbed, but you ought to come out.  We have a situation in Gotham City.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Since the Ino incident (as he privately referred to it), things had been a little… different in Naruto’s head. 

Contrary to some villagers’ opinion, Kyuubi was not in constant communication with Naruto.  Naruto hadn’t even known Kyuubi was there until Mizuki told him, and until he’d accessed the energy himself, a part of him had always doubted it.  Normally, Kyuubi could not talk unless Naruto went, in person, to the cage and spoke with him.  Such incidents were usually dependent on Naruto.

Since Kyuubi had gotten out during Ino’s little… disruption, however, that had changed.  Kyuubi had started popping up in his dreams a bit more and the Kyuubi had been a trifle more vocal.  So far as Naruto could tell, the seal itself was undamaged, but the mind… well, the mind was a little more open.

For obvious reasons, Naruto had not told anyone about the extra voice in his head.  He was pretty good at tuning people out anyway.

Well, he had since discovered something.  An extra voice in your head, particularly one urging you to kill and burn the opponent in front of you, particularly when that WAS something you were tempted to do, was incredibly distracting.

 _He killed your friends._   The voice whispered as Naruto, no longer a sage,  whipped away from the black flaming blade.

 _He HURT my friends.  None of them were dead yet, I could feel it._   Naruto thought back.  _Even just before I threw that last Rasenshuriken, I could feel it._

_Regardless, he meant to kill your friends.  What do you think he’ll do once he finishes with you?  Leave them alone forever?  Go and live his life in piece?_

_He’s not going to beat me._ Defiance flared up in Naruto as he threw an explosive tag and cloned it a few thousand times.

There was something like a snort in his mind.  _No?  He certainly will if you keep on like this.  You’ve got nothing left, kit.  No tricks, no techniques, nothing.  Summoning your toads won’t work here, you know that_.  And then, in a whisper, it added, _but there is one way…_

_NO._

_Your friends are miles away, we’re outside the city, the only one nearby is the one you want to kill.  What is the harm?_

_I don’t want to kill him.  And how stupid do you think I am?  As soon as you’re done with him, you’re going to smash the city._

_Now, now.  What makes you think I’d do a thing like that?  I’d only have the power, or even the control, to do something like that if I was ALL the way out.  At the lower levels, you always have some control, you know that._

_I know nothing of the sort.  Last time you were out, you tried to kill Hinata.  Before that, Sakura.  And before that, Jiraiya-sensei._

_But I didn’t.  You wouldn’t let me.  I could have killed any of them, but I couldn’t, because you didn’t want me to._

                The point was so startling that Naruto nearly stopped to consider it, before the sword crashed to the pavement an inch behind him and he leapt into running again.  _You’ll still destroy the city._

_Haven’t you been listening?  I can’t do anything you don’t, secretly or otherwise, want me to do.  Besides, I have no interest in that city.  I’d much rather put as much difference between it and me as possible._

_You’re lying._   Naruto thought desperately.

                _Why would I lie?_

                At that, Naruto snorted.  _You’re a demon, maybe?  Honestly, if you’re limited as much as you say, why would you even want out?_

                There was a little snigger.  _Let us say I want to stretch my legs._

                _No._

                “ **I’m growing bored with this, Naruto**.”  Susanoo’s voice broke in on his thoughts.  “ **It’s been fun and all, but I’m afraid it’s time for you to die**.”

                Naruto knew a danger sign when he heard it.  Immediately he leapt behind a rock, moments before the whole field burst into black flames.

                “ **Clever, but again, tiresome**.”  Naruto leapt away from his hiding spot moments before it was destroyed by a vast black sword. 

                _He’ll keep it up until he kills you.  And after you, your friends._

 _Shut up._   Naruto leapt around desperately.  He formed the necessary chakra and filled the field with clones.

                **“Not this AGAIN.”**     Susanoo sighed.  **“I’m tired of this game.  Let’s play something different.”**   Turning, he faced Gotham.  **“I wonder how these buildings will stand up to Amaterasu.”**

                _These people don’t know how to combat Amaterasu.  The fox’s voice was almost gleeful now.    The fire will spread through their city and burn it all to ash and they’ll have no way of stopping it.  But YOU can._

                Shut up.

                **“Come out and face me, NAruto, or I burn down the city.”**

                _It’s either him or me.  He WILL burn down the whole city, and kill your friends.  You know I won’t._

_I know nothing of the sort._

_Can you risk it?_

                **“I’m getting bored, Naruto.  One…”**

                _I will not harm the city.  You have my word._

_The word of a demon?_

                A mental shrug.  _It’s all I have to give._

                “Two…”

                _Well?  Him or me?  Your friends’ lives, or his?_

                **“Three.  Well, this is tiresome, but there’s nothing for it…”**

                Naruto’s eyes snapped open, red and slitted.

               

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Sakura gave Batman the first clue.  She was working quickly along on Shino, hands moving quickly and efficiently over his damaged midsection when her eyes widened and her hands dropped from there task.  “ _Yada_ <Oh no>.”  She whispered.

                “What?” snapped Batman.  “What is it?”

                The next second they all knew.  Like a cutting wind, a soundless ripple, a swelling wave that rips through everything and yet leaves it standing, an oppressive sense of utter rage washed through them all.  Horror, pain, fear... all these came crushing down upon their senses.

                Then there was the explosion.  A great, ripping BOOM that cracked the silent city apart, resounding through the steel and concrete canyons.  No light, just sound.

                “What was that?”   yelled Cyborg, still prone on the ground.  “A bomb?”

                All too obviously not.  And given the grim looks on the faces of the ninja, and the haunted look in Raven’s, Batman had a pretty good feeling of what it had been.

                “ _Saki to onaji_ <Just like before>.”  Sakura whispered, hugging herself.  “ _Saki to onaji_.”

                “That,” stated Shino, staring implacably at the horizon.  “Was the Kyuubi, and unless he is diverted in the next five minutes Gotham will no longer be standing.”

                “Less, I’d say.”  Neji muttered.

                “I assume he can’t be reasoned with in this state.”  Batman grunted, standing to his feet.

                “No.”  Sakura shook her head.  “He’ll attack anybody.  You, me… his best friend.”

                Robin offered his mentor a wry-faced grin.  “Got a plan for this one, Bats?  Runes around the city?  Anti-demonic weaponry in the belt?”

                “A few holy relics, but nothing from HIS world.”  Batman frowned.  “Besides, a chakra demon doesn’t seem likely to be effected by conventional techniques.  Perhaps…”

                “Hey!”  Kiba’s shout broke them all out of it.  “Hinata?  What are you doing?”

                Batman turned just in time to see the girl vanish in a flash of light.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Though he knew exactly what was happening, Sasuke wasn’t TOO worried when Naruto exploded.  He’d fought the Kyuubi before—if not at four tails, which was what it’d grown to now—and he’d gained a great deal since then.  He was reasonably certain he could deal with the roaring beast in front of him.

And then the roaring beast—along with everything else in front of him—started to get blurry, and THEN Sasuke started to worry.

                Susanoo, as Naruto had observed earlier, was big and strong, but not fast.  Kyuubi, at four tails, might not be big, but it was strong.  And fast.  Sasuke barely had time to bring up the shield before it ripped into him, smashing through the invincible skin, the impenetrable flesh, the unbreakable bones.  The black flames didn’t even seem to touch it. 

                Perhaps Kyuubi was breaking through, perhaps Susanoo was simply breaking up.  Sasuke knew only that it was getting harder and harder to concentrate, and the pain, _oh_ the pain…

                And then the last of his defenses gave as Kyuubi came roaring into his inner sanctum.  Sasuke managed to just barely dodge the worst of his attack, but it was still more than enough to send him crashing through what was left of Susanoo and onto the pavement outside.  Stars exploded across his brain as his head met the pavement, and his vision swam more than ever.

                A vicious, grinning face glowed into focus above his head.  It was hard to look at that bright burning face with its blank white eyes and jagged smile.  The creature seemed to regard him with sort of sadistic pleasure for a moment before shooting out a hand.  The chakra burned against his skin as it gripped his head, like a child with a small egg.  He felt as though he could not move, as if all time were still.  As if this were a dream.

                And then the creature’s other hand buried itself in his face, and he knew this was real.  He FELT his left eye ripping from his head, the sensation more real than even Itachi’s illusion had been.  His vision danced with pain and things became more blurry than ever.

                The pain spurred him to action.  With his remaining eye he cast Ameratsu, and as the Kyuubi reeled back, yowling, clawing at the black flames on its face, he scrambled to his feet and ran.  Half stumbling, half-reeling, always clutching at his gaping eye socket, he ran, paying no heed to the howls behind him.

                He was nearly in the city when the creature’s anguished howls became low, rumbling, growls.  Somehow the Amaterasu had been extinguished.  Somehow it was again on his tail.  Sasuke risked a single, blurry look back.

                The four-tailed Kyuubi stood fully planted in the pavement where he had left it,  gathering up a vast bubble of chakra, preparing for a blast.  Even as Sasuke watched, it swallowed the mass and turned toward him.

                And as Sasuke watched the fox’s glowing maw open to unleash its enormous blast upon him, he just barely had time to recognize the dim figure that flickered into existence between the two of them.

                … _the Hyuuga_ …?

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “So we got a black flaming giant battling a flaming fox outside of Gotham city.”

                “Yes.”  Superman chewed his lip nervously, studying the readout.  “Gotham is Batman’s city…”  he muttered.  “…but giant demonic things seem a little…”

                “…out of his league?”

                Turning, Superman leveled a glare at Flash.  “I was going to say extreme.  Not the sort of stuff Batman usually handles.”  He turned back to the screen.  “Not that he’d ever admit it…”

                “Sir.”  The technician’s voice was suddenly tense.  “We have an update.  The fox just broke the giant apart.  Now it’s charging up a… blast of some kind.”

                “Estimated strength?”

                The technician fumbled for a moment.  “Well… ah… uh… it’s pretty damn big, sir.”

                An image flickered into life on the screen.  Superman’s eyes widened. 

                “That does it.”  Standing with a jerk,  he pressed his hand to his earpiece.  “Gotham or not, we’re going in.  All available S-class League members, report to Gotham City at the following coordinates!  Details to follow.  Support and relief teams ready for…”

                “Sir?”

                Superman turned to glance at the technician, who now looked a trifle confused.  “There’s a… giant pale woman… in a green cloak.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The Kyuubi’s blast withered away into nothing, and revealed the Spectre, now a great, pale woman, glowing white eyes beneath a hood and coat of sable green.  Dark hair whipped about her head in an invisible wind.

                “ **Kyuubi**.”  Said the woman.  “ **Thousands of innocents have perished by your hands, and but for my intervention, thousands more would have today**.”

                The four-tailed Kyuubi backed up, hissing, ears flattened back in something akin to fear.

                **“Vengeance must be had,”** stated the woman dispassionately, and in a flicker she was beside the fox.  Before it could even move, her hand was clamped on his shoulder.

                And the Kyuubi screamed!  Loud and long it screamed, and its scream echoed through the streets of Gotham.  Windows shattered, dogs howled, and people everywhere stopped their ears against the assault.

 

 

 

* * *

 

                Batman and the others, already en-route to the site, heard the scream, and it stopped them in their tracks. 

“Okay, now what was THAT?”  Beast Boy gaped.

                “I have no idea.”  Neji  answered.  “It sounded like the Kyuubi.  Let me see…”  The veins around his head pulsed a moment.  “AH!”  He fell to the ground clutching his eyes.  “AAAAHHH!”

                “Neji?”  Sakura moved over to the Hyuuga.  “What is it?”

                “What on earth is going on here?”

                “He’s here.”  Raven answered, her voice curiously vacant.  “He’s here.  But… he’s different.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                **“Fear not, Naruto,”** smiled the woman as the Kyuubi shrank from four tails to three, and then to two.  Naruto’s glazed expression stared up at her.  **“I am merely binding him.  Once that has been accomplished, I shall draw his soul from your body.  You shall not be harmed.”**

                “No…!”  Naruto managed.  “I need… the jutsu… I need him…”

                **“It shall not hurt.  Not you, anyway.  Then you shall be rid of the trouble that has plagued you your whole life long.”**   Kyuubi was now down to one tail.

                Something cleared in Naruto’s gaze.  “Hi… na… ta?  Is that… Is that… you?  You… you can’t…  I need him… the chakra…  Please, Hinata, stop…”

                **“Stop?  But he has been a blight upon you.  His soul is that of evil.  He is a demon, and I am the hand of vengeance.  The guilty must be punished for their crimes.”**   The chakra cloak disappeared entirely **.  “He has now been bound.   Now his soul shall be drawn into the lake of fire, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”**

                “NO!”  Naruto nearly screamed as a ghostly form of Kyuubi began to detach itself from his body.  “Hinata, STOP!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                It was warm and comfortable in Hinata’s mind.  All things happened accordingly, everything progressed as it should.  Her consciousness lay in an enveloping sense of rightness, of being in exactly the place she needed to be in that particular point in time.

                With almost warm laziness she watched the blast dissipate in the Spectre’s hand.  Foggily she saw the Kyuubi being bound, it’s influence over Naruto being diminished.  A sort of hazy happiness flooded her senses as she watched the Spectre begin to draw the Kyuubi from Naruto’s body…

                And then it suddenly struck her that Naruto was pained, that he was screaming, that he was screaming to _her_ , to make her _stop_ …

                With a sudden coldness, Hinata wrenched herself from the warming presence of the Spectre  _Stop!_   She cried voiceless to the mind.  _Enough!_

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The woman’s eyes widened suddenly.  The glowing whiteness of her skin faded to pink flush again, the green cloak shortened and faded to become a purple hoodie.  The ghost form of the Kyuubi slowly retreated back into Naruto’s body.

                And Hinata slumped to her knees before Naruto.  “I’m… I’m sorry Naruto.”  She whispered. “ I’m so, so sorry…”  And then she completely passed out and collapsed on the ground.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Mr. Luthor isn’t available, so we thought we’d ask you.”  The two analysts gestured to Tenten, still firing away at the target below.  “Is there any danger to her doing that?”

                The new member of the group, a somewhat grubby-looking weapons tech, pushed back his cap and frowned at the spectacle.  “How long she been at that?”

                “About… fifteen minutes now.  She still has five minutes to go, but she’s kept firing that whole fifteen minutes.  We were wondering if the firing mechanism might have gotten jammed.”

                The mechanic shook his head.  “Tha’s unlikely.  Them X-49-T’s are pretty smooth—don’t jam much.  As for her firing, I don’t think it’s partic’lary dangerous.  Might heat up the gun a little, but not much.”  Gazing at the spectacle, he frowned a moment.  “It’s behavin’ kinda funny though.  Looks sorta funny too.”

                “Oh, that would be the alterations we made.”  The first analyst nodded.  “You see, Mr. Luthor doesn’t want the prisoner getting too familiar with the weaponry, so we changed it around some to throw off the aim, balance, and so forth.”

                “What kinda changes?”

                The analyst frowned.  “I don’t particularly remember… oh, we removed one of the side air circulators, to make it shake more to that side.  And we  did something to the barrel… made it so the bullets would spread out more.”

                The mechanic’s gaze had suddenly gotten a tad wider.  “Ya didn’t increase the friction, did you?”

                “I’m not sure.”  The analyst looked to his colleague, who shrugged.  “Perhaps.  Why?”

                For answer, the mechanic made for the door.   “Get that girl out of there, and cut off her ammo supply, NOW!”

                “But she still has five minutes…”

                “Listen, you.”  The mechanic whirled on the analyst.  “You know what adding friction does?  It generates heat.  You know what removing an air circulator does?  It makes that heat harder to dissipate.  You know what firing a gun like that for fifteen straight minutes does?”

                “It… makes heat?”

                “Darn right it does!”  The mechanic shouted.  “A whole stinkin’ lot of heat with all the alterations you boys made!  That gun’s gotta be glowing hot right now, practically burning her hand off!”

                “Then why is she still firing it?”  The second analyst blinked.

                “Haven’t you noticed that gun is firing explosive rounds?  IF she keeps firing that thing, she might generate enough heat to…”

                And then there was an enormous explosion.

               

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People often complain that Hinata is OP in this story, and she sort of is. She is my favorite character, so there;s that. But honestly my original idea just had her as a glorified translator. Her role expanded based on reviewers at the time wanting to see "righteous angel of vengeance" Hinata.


	18. Exhiliration

**Exhiliration**

                The shooting was a little more difficult that Tenten had anticipated.  Firing a gun whilst leaping and jumping through hallways required a great deal more coordination than sitting in a chair and endlessly pulling the trigger.  There were matters of kickback, coordination, and balance to deal with.  The basics of aiming she had easily mastered, and factors such as reload time and weapon accuracy she had an approximate knowledge of, thanks to her time in the shooting range; but doings things in practice turned out to be much trickier.

                Of course, that throbbing pain in her right hand (or rather, where her right hand used to be) wasn’t helping matters.  Nor, for that matter, was shooting with her left for a change. 

                Still.  Details.  At least she could somewhat brace the plasma rifle in her left hand with the stump of her right.  And really, most of Luthor’s guards seemed to be atrocious shots… they hit nearly everywhere except where she was.   The only real danger came from her bleeding stump of an arm.  If that continued, she would quickly become fatigued and pass out. 

                She had a little time left, though.  Tenten had never KNOWN such a surge of adrenaline.  Impatience bred from months of imprisonment had festered in her, the wild chance brought to her had allowed this impatience an outlet, and now, in the wild euphoria of battle, she received the ADDITIONAL excitement of a new weapon.  The adrenaline would more than compensate for the blood loss for the next five minutes.

                A black helmet caught her eye and she whipped her gun up into position.  It recoiled appreciably and Tenten took a moment to savor the neat little holes appearing across the guard’s body.  A very clinical weapon—in and out.  Very clean.  Very fast.

Shouts and the racing tread of boots announced more guards, coming down the hallway.  Too many to face, unless… 

Tenten rolled over to the slumped body on the floor and checked him over.   She didn’t want the gun he had, the one she had now was FAR more suited to her needs. The armor looked helpful, or at least it would be if she hadn’t already riddled it with holes.  On the guard’s belt were several “clips” of ammo, and several weird ball-like objects.

Ears alert to the approaching guards, Tenten picked up one of the objects and studied it.  A weapon, obviously. The shape indicated it was meant to be thrown, probably like a gas pellet.  The piece of wire sticking out of it was obviously extraneous and probably meant to be pulled out.  However, Tenten could see no place to apply chakra.

The appearance of black suits around the corner decided the issue for her.  Quickly she yanked out the pin and chucked the little ball.

**BOOOOOM!**

 

* * *

 

               _“Damage to the city is minimal, and the kids seem all right, but we need to get them to proper medical_ care." Green Lantern reported. _"Their medics seemed to handled the wounds, but they have no experience with bullets."_

"So the bullets are sealed inside.  Shall I have the surgery bay prepped?"  J'onn asked, surveying the bank of monitors.

Green Lantern looked slightly nonplussed.  " _...probably, just to be on the safe side.  The bullets aren't the problem, though.  Bullets tend to cauterize the wounds on their way in, so it'd actually be riskier taking them out.  If they got lodged somewhere important, though, that could be a problem, so best to be careful.  Robin might help, too.  Right now we’re loading them aboard the Javelins.”_

                “Good.”  J’onn nodded at the screen.  “Any sign of the three anomalies?”

                _“If you mean the flaming fox and the giant statue that were here a moment ago, then no.”_ Superman’s annoyed tone broke into Green Lantern’s report.  _“No sign of the robed lady either.  The ninjas seem to know something, but they aren’t talking.”_

 _“Batman seems to have an idea.”_ Lantern objected.

                A snort from Superman.  _“And is HE talking?”_

                “I see.  Anything else to add?”

               _“Apparently they were here pursuing the fugitive—Sasuke—and also rescuing Question, who had been captured by him.  Looks like Question's been tortured, but..."_ Green Lantern shrugged, _"...he says its nothing he hasn't done before.  He’s stable enough for now.  We’re shipping him and Huntress back to the Watchtower… they were already onboard the Titan’s jet, so we’ll just use that._ "

                “ _No sign of Uchiha Sasuke_.”  Superman cut in again.  _“Flash and I have both been over the city five times.  Nothing.”_

                J’onn sighed.  “Unfortunate.  Well, what now?”

                _“Well, given the circumstances, I say it’s time our inter-dimensional visitors came back to the Watchtower.”_ Superman’s voice was slightly strained and more than a little bitter.  “ _Apparently the Titans can’t keep them in hand anymore.  In any case, we have the proper medical facilities there to treat them, and perhaps get some answers about this whole event.”_

                “Agreed.”  

 

* * *

 

                Explosions!  Nice, very nice, Tenten decided as she snagged a handful of the little ball-items from the dead guard’s waist.  Not as sleek as exploding tags, perhaps, but still, delightfully flexible.  She wondered if she could bounce them around corners.  That would be useful.

                For a second her eyes grew blurry and she stumbled.  Blood loss was really starting to kick in.  Perhaps one of these guard had a medic kit she could use…?  But no, more guards were coming.  She couldn’t spare the time.  Time to get out.

                Her eyes traveled up the wall and stopped midway.  Grinning, she jogged forwards.  Regardless of dimension, ANY ninja knew the value of a ventilation shaft.

Like a flash she popped the lid and slithered in, crashing the grate back into place behind her.  No sense in leaving a trail.  Pushing her gun far in front of her, she wriggled her way through the narrow metal channel, doing her best to ignore the shouts and sounds of running behind her.  Ventilator shafts made good hiding spots, but staying in them too long with.  At the first opening, she blew open the grate and jumped down.

She found herself in a small, cluttered room.  After a few quick sweeps, she assured herself that the room was empty and shimmied over to the only door.  A glance out the window contented her… she had a few moments to herself, before the cameras would bring the guards running.

Slumping against the wall, she tore a strip out of her already-ragged hospital gown, trying to find a way to wrap it around her slippery stump.  One-handed medical care was pretty tricky, after all.  You had to press the rag to the table with your stump, then wind it tightly around with the other hand, all while not letting the thing fumble all over the place.  After about the thirtieth time, vision starting to swim, she glanced up, panting slightly.

For the first time, her mind fully took stock of what KIND of room she was in.  It appeared to be  some kind of locker room.  Her internal girl cried out for the showers at the far end—she hadn’t had a proper wash in weeks—but her internal kunoichi focused on the gun sticking out of a half-open locker.  Forgetting her arm for a moment, she pushed off the wall and approached it.

To her disappointment, the gun turned out to be notoriously inferior to hers.  She’d seen it before—it was little more than a contained fire weapon.  A simple Katon jutsu could replace it.  The man who’d given it to her had called it a “flamethrower.”  Not at all useful in this situation.

Still, an extra weapon was always useful, so she took it from the locker and slung it across her back.  Then she caught sight of the armor hanging inside.

Tenten grinned.

Seconds later, she tightened the strap of a helmet over her head and shifted about in the armor.  It was a tad stiffer than the ANBU uniforms she’d seen, but it felt plenty lightweight, and VERY durable.  And though the coveralls were a trifle loose on her frame, the fabric was thick enough for her to tie off the sleeve of her stump.  So at least the bleeding was staunched.

 _Not much for disguise._   Tenten reflected, studying the blood seeping through the half-sleeve.  _But then…_    Grinning, she cocked her gun, _…I’m not here for disguise._

A sudden commotion alerted her to the fact that she was losing time.  Again she slunk to the door, but a glimpse of black uniforms warned her back.  She couldn’t just charge out there.  Quickly she readied one of the spherical explosives.

Glancing out again, she frowned.  Something seemed off.  The guards weren’t readying for an attack, they were just positioning themselves around the door.  Guarding the different exits to the hallway.

Cutting her off.  They were cutting off her escape.  But escape from what?  The only other entrance was…

The vent!

Tenten swung around, cursing, noticing for the first time the chorus of tinkling metal feet ringing against the steel ventilator shaft.  _My blood._   She swore internally.  _They followed my blood_.

And then hundreds of little metallic spiders came boiling out of the hole.

 

* * *

 

                “…the… plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces… are called… aglets.  Their true purpose...”

                “Baby, you’re okay.  You can stop now,” pleaded Huntress, cradling her boyfriend’s faceless head in her hands.  “You’re safe, we’re going to the Justice League.  They’re going to get you patched up.”

                “Must… catch… the boy.”  Question tried to struggle up from the hospital bed, ignoring the doctors.  “Uchiha… too dangerous.  Can’t be…”

                “They’re looking for him, honey.  They’ve got men all over the city.  They’ll find him.”

                “He got away then.”  Question slumped back, collapsing onto the mattress.  “No chance now.”

                “They’ll find him.”

                “No.  Only catch villains at end of fights.  If not then… hopeless.  Never find him now.”  Question hissed as a fresh wave of pain tore up his side.  “Should have… should’ve left me… gone to get him.”

                “Stay still baby.  Stay still.”  Huntress shot an annoyed look at the orderly.  “Don’t you guys have any more painkillers?”

                “NO!  No painkillers. Manufacturer of general anesthetics has connections to Mayan…”

                “He won’t take any, ma’am.”  The orderly offered her a tired smile. 

                Sighing, Huntress glared at her boyfriend.  “You’ll be the death of yourself.”

                “Question.” rasped the patient, and after a moment Huntress realized he wasn’t talking about himself. “…was… relieved you did not attempt… solo rescue mission.  Sasuke… too much for you.”

                Huntress’ feminine pride flared.  “I could have...!”

                “However…”  his rasping voice cut her short.  “...teamwork is... unusual... for you.  Passive role in rescue… uncharacteristic.”  Question’s eyeless face searched hers probingly.  “explain... discrepancies?”

                Belatedly, Huntress realized the disadvantages of a super-detective boyfriend.  “Baby,” said she, swallowing hard.  “I’ve got some… news.”

               

* * *

 

                Tenten leapt back, tossing the little sphere toward the vent.  With a loud BOOM, thousands of spiders exploded into tiny little metallic fragments.

                _Explosion will warn the others outside._   Tenten realized.  _They’ll attack_ …

                A muffled thud against the door confirmed her thoughts.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door warm from the blast of laser rifles.  It wouldn’t hold for long.  And if she ran out that way, she’d be charging straight into gunfire.

                Only one way out.  And even if there were billions of those nasty little spiders between her and it, she was going to try for it.

                Gun roaring, Tenten leapt for the shattered vent covering, shattering spiders as she went.  Her hand grasped the edge and heaved herself upward through sheer will, ignoring the ten or so tiny beasties that crumpled under her fingers.  Bracing against the wall of the vent with her stump, she used her gun hand to drag herself further into the vent, humping her body desperately to get it inwards. 

Spiders were all over her, crawling, leaping, whirring angrily.  One got onto her face and she felt the sharp sting of a needle.  Growling, she twitched her head, knocking it off, and snapped her mouth toward it, neatly biting it in half.

Her feet finally found the opposite side, and she pushed frantically, wriggling into the vent at last.  As she did, a muffled explosion announced the destruction of the door.    Hundreds of the spiders were on her now, she was starting to feel pricks elsewhere.  _Poison?_ Her inner kunoichi wondered.  _No time to think of that.  Soldiers will see the spiders, they’ll fire upwards…_

But they did not. 

Why not?  Her path was obvious, there were only two ways she could have gone, and the spiders would clearly have shown them which way.  The guard’s weapons had more than enough power to punch through the ceiling and vent between her and them.  If she’d been in there position, she’d have riddled the ceiling till blood dripped to the floor.

_They want me alive._

It was the only possible explanation.  The pricks must be sedative, not poison.  The guards were probably trying to use some kind of sleeping dart or stun ability on her.  No wonder they’d been doing so poorly… they hadn’t been fighting to kill.

Tenten wasn’t sure whether to feel insulted or relieved by that.

                The pricks were growing less, the spiders were slowly smashing against the narrow walls of the ventilator shaft.  But already, dark spots were dancing in front of her eyes.  The guards _would_ know where she’d gone, they’d be waiting at the next exit.  The spiders might even have trackers on them.  And she could only go so fast, wriggling through the narrow tunnel of steel with one gun-laden arm and a flamethrower on her back bumping against the ceiling.

                Quickly devising a mad strategy, Tenten paused in the shaft and bashed every part of her body against the metal.  The tiny pricks stopped entirely.  Panting a little, gazing through the wavering darkness, she crawled forward as quickly as possible before pointing her plasma cannon upward and letting loose.

                The kickback of the gun nearly made her pass out.  There wasn’t much a way to brace against it, in the narrow shaft with only one hand in front.    She bit down hard on her tongue and curled her fingers around the hand grip.  Her stump of an arm flailed about furiously, and blackness swam in her vision.  When she felt she could stand it no longer, she let go of the trigger.

                A new, ragged hole now gaped in the shaft, and toward that Tenten now painfully dragged herself.  She had to hurry, the ruse would only work for so long.  As she clambered upwards, she allowed herself a small grin of triumph.  She had gambled on the ceiling-high airvent being close to the floor of the next level and it had paid off.  A crowded collection of tanks, crates, and various boxes clustered about her in what looked to be some kind of large storeroom that stretched for nearly a hundred meters in every direction

                Tenten crawled to an open storage container—not too near her exit to be conspicuous, but not too far to exhaust her—and hoisted herself in, slamming the lid shut behind her.  Slumping against the wall, she finally allowed herself to relax.  She was safe, for the moment.

                But only for the moment.  Her vision grew blurrier by the instant, and blood was starting to seep through the tied-off sleeve.  Perhaps she could ride out the sedative in this hideaway, but loss of blood might make it fatal.

                Dimly, Tenten recalled one of Sakura’s medical lectures.

                _In a battle, it is important to stem blood flow from a wound as soon as possible._  She had solemnly informed the gathered kunoichi,   _You must also halt the infection._   _It's important to know all your options.  Medical jutsus can burn a lot of chakra, and medical kits can be lost.  Still there are alternatives._

Slowly, Tenten reached to her back and pulled off the flamethrower. 

                 _There is one entirely reliable method to both staunching the wound and stopping the infection.  One that should be readily available to any ninja with a modicum of chakra or inventiveness._

Letting it fall into her lap, she began to untie the sleeve binding her stump.

                _As we in Konoha know, when a forest becomes diseased, there is sometimes only one thing to do._

                As blood burbled freshly from the stump, Tenten pressed it up against the metal crate before her and aimed with the flamethrower.

                _A cleansing fire is needed._

                This time, Tenten DID pass out.

 

* * *

 

                “The others are at the Watchtower already, then?”

                Batman gave a short nod from the front.  “We have medical facilities there to tend to them.  Another Javelin will be back later for your other friends.”

                “Why must the others remain?”  asked Lee from his stretcher.  Sakura was seated beside him, hands glowing.  Somehow, Lee had managed to escape the fight with only minor superficial wounds and a broken leg.  He did, of course, have burns all over his body from the Amateratsu flames, but even those were rapidly diminishing.  “Do you need them for something.”

                “They’re the least wounded among you,” responded Wonder Woman, seated on a stretcher just opposite.  She maintained she was alright, but Sakura had determined that severe trauma had been done to her nervous system.  Raiton jutsus weren’t something you just shook off, after all.  Sakura’s chakra had helped there, but a lot of work remained to be done.

                Neji seemed incredulous.  “The least?”  Though several bullets had hit him, they seemed to have passed straight through rather than lodge anywhere.  The preliminary medical care had been more than enough to stabilize him.

                “We took down your friends Sai and Chouji with minimal damage.”  Batman’s statement came cool and crisp.  “Beast Boy and Starfire have slight concussions but nothing worse, and Raven has been relieved of this… illusion you said had a hold on her.”

                “Genjutsu.”  Sakura whispered.  “It’s called a genjutsu.”  

                Apparently still not satisfied, Neji half-raised himself from the stretcher to glare inquisitively at Batman’s back.  “And what of Ino?  I saw her fall myself.”

                “Funny you should mention it,” snorted Batman.  “From what I can tell, nearly nine bullets hit her.”

                “And?”

                “And they’re not there anymore.  The wounds are all closed up, the muscles knitting back together, the bullet’s themselves are simply gone.”  Batman’s head half-twisted to stare back at Neji.  “She said your cousin healed her.  Is that correct?”

                Neji slowly collapsed back onto the bed.  “Probably.”  He muttered.

                “Have to add that to the things to ask her about, then.”

                Sakura shrugged wearily.  “Might as well.”  Hinata seemed to be _full_ of surprises recently.  Leaning back from her healing, Sakura cracked her knuckles and rubbed her eyes. 

                “Thank you, Sakura-san.”  Lee offered her a grin.

                Trying to summon up a smile and failing miserably, Sakura settled for a simple, “You’re welcome.”

                A crackle of radio from the front made all heads glance up.  “Bats, what’s your status?”

                “ETA two minutes,” responded the other evenly.  “Passengers stable.”

                “Good to hear.  Medical bays are standing by to receive them.”

                “What about the others?”  Sakura asked hesitantly.

                “They’re all good,” chuckled the voice.  “your pal Shino is posing a bit of a puzzle to the medics here, but he’s stable, and so’s the one dog-boy.  And before you ask, Bats, Robin’s okay, and Cyborg’s back online.”

                Batman gave a short, clipped nod.  “Excellent.  Batman out.”  Without turning, he informed the others, “You all will be required to give a full account of your battle in Gotham, so I suggest you start thinking through your statements now.”

                The ninjas merely nodded.  After everything that’d happened, an interrogation seemed pretty inevitable.  Sakura, however, seemed to be rather distracted, and constantly chewed on her lower lip.  Slightly hesitant, she turned to Lee.

                “Lee…”  she whispered.

                “Sakura-san?”  the taijutsu specialist opened an eye.

                “When I… I jumped at Sasuke, I thought…”  she swallowed.  “…I thought that… just for a second… he paused.  He usually reacts instantly, but he… he hesitated.  For a moment.  I wouldn’t have been able to grab his gun if he hadn’t.”  Eyes probing Lees, she pleaded, “Do you… do you think he…”

                “Most likely, he hesitated because his weapon was nearly out of bullets.”  Batman’s icy voice cut into their conversation.  “The Uzi I found at the scene had a completely empty magazine.  I imagine your Sasuke guessed this from the weight and arranged the hostage gambit out of desperation.”  There was a slight pause, and then he added, “If he’d had more ammo, I imagine you’d be dead by now.”

                Sakura’s eyes went completely vacant, and she slumped back in her chair.  The look Wonder Woman shot Batman, and the look Lee gave her, passed entirely without reaction.  Only when the Javelin touched down in the landing bay and the medics started to come in, did she finally speak.

                “Lee.”

                “Yes, Sakura-san?”  Lee was eyeing her rather anxiously.

                “Do you have your medicine on you.”

                “My…”  For a moment Lee fumbled as to her meaning, than his eyes cleared.  “Yes, Sakura-san, but why…?”

                “Can I have it.”

                Lee’s considerable eyebrows raised.  “Sakura-san, I…”

                “Lee.”  Sakura’s vacant gaze turned to the chunin.  “Sake.  Please.”

 

* * *

 

                _“Why are you bothering me with this?”_ snapped Luthor—or rather, his projection in the control room.  _“Capture the brat, or kill her if you can’t manage that, it makes no difference. “_

                Dr. Ronald Fisker had never really enjoyed working for Luthor.  Sure, you couldn’t argue with the pay rates or the equipment, and it WAS nice not to have to worry about international laws, but the man had a slight tendency for megalomania.  Also for killing employees, which was just bad business anyway you looked at it. 

                Fortunately, at the moment he didn’t have to speak to him.  Security Chief Ravensbruk was doing that.  “But sir, she is destroying ze base.  If continues, the League vill undoubtedly…”

                _“I didn’t hire you to come running to me every time something goes wrong, Ravensbruk.”_   Luthor  glared at the unfortunate security chief.  _“Do a thermal scan, use tracking dogs, follow the stupid implant we put in her.  Flood the building with gas if you have to, just get her and stop bothering me!”_

                “Sir, she blew off the arm that had the implant.  Und the use of gas vould…”

                Luthor’s projection made an irritated gesture and Ravensbruk’s head exploded. 

                Sighing, Fisker reached up to clean off his glasses.    This was really getting old.  Brain fragments left very persistent stains on lab coats.  A part of him wondered if he should start wearing a dust suit to the control room.

                _“Fisker, you’re in charge now.  Take care of the girl anyway you like, call out the others if you want, but do not interrupt me again.  Understood?”_

                “Yes sir.”  Fisker offered a weary nod.

             _“Good.”_ Nodding, Luthor  began to turn away and then, almost as an afterthought, snapped his fingers at Ravensbruk’s headless corpse.  As the projection vanished, a new head swelled from the former security chief’s shoulders.

                Teeth clenched in pain, Ravenbruk stood to his feet, wiping some bits of his own skull off his suit.  “I am demoted, ja?”  He hissed to Fisker.

                Fisker merely gave a nod.

                “Just as well.”  The broad German gave another hiss of pain as ears sprouted from the head.  “I miss the days when dying vas the end.”

 

* * *

 

“An id’it.  Thas wha he is, and id’it.”

                One of the reasons Batman loved the monitor womb was because of how quiet it was.  How contemplative.  Nobody came in unless they had the most urgent business.  There were no distractions, just clear, unadulterated intelligence from all over the world, intelligence to be contemplated and catalogued in the glorious silence of the monitor womb.

                So why the pink-haired girl should go and choose to be drunk HERE, of all places, was not only confusing but manifestly annoying. 

                “I mean, OHmiGOD he’s an idiot.  All dark and angsty with hiz whole ‘Ah musht avenge my clan’ thingummy goin’ on.”    The girl stared at the small metal flask in her hand for a moment.  “Y’know?  And he won’t let anybody help him either, ‘cause he thinks he’s all cool and stuff.”

                Batman ignored the girl’s observation.  “Where did you get alcohol?”  He asked.  “They’re not supposed to serve it to minors.”

                “Wha?  Thish?  Thish ain’t no al-cho-haull!  Thish… thish here is sake.”  Again the girl stared at the flask and blinked owlishly.  “Sake.  Na Alcohol.  Alcohol… al’chol makes you DRUNK.  I’m too… I’m too young ta git drunk.  Not ‘llowed.”

                “At least our universes have THAT much in common.”  Batman muttered.

                “Na, sake’s fine.  Shenshei has sake ALL the time, and she’s not drunk.   Except when she is, ya know.  But sake…”  Sakura nodded profoundly.  “Sake is good.  Good for you.”  She proffered the bottle.  “You wan’ sake?”

                “No thanks.”  Batman closed his eyes.  “What was this you were saying about the Uchiha?”

                “I…Ah used to be in love wid him.  Y’know?  Stupid things… you do this when you’re young.  We were on the same team and I wuz all ‘ohmiword I’m on the same team wid Sasuke and he’s gonna be my Prince Charming and we’ll be happ’ly married and all that shit.’  That’s what I thought.”  She hiccupped.  “That was a bad idea.”

                “Dating within the team always leads to disaster,” nodded Batman abstractedly.

                “B—but you don’t GET it!”  The girl burst into tears.  “We never WENT on a date!  We never did ANYTHING!”

                “Mmm-hmmm.”  Batman was wondering when the girl would be finished.

                “It was always just ME, MOONing about him like he was the center of the universe or something.  But he was always being so COLD and aLOOF all the time.  I mean C’MON!  Okay, the guy’s parent’s died.”  She frowned.  “An’… An’ the others, I guess.  Y’know… All the others in his clan.  They did the dying thing too.  That was sad.  But STILL!”

                “Definitely.”  Something in the girl’s story seemed to job Batman’s memory.  Had he heard this story before?  Outside of the last five times she’d told it?

                “I mean… sure, I was stupid.”  The girl stared contemplatively at the bottle.  “Stupid stupid stupid.  Do you know anything that rhymes with stupid?”

                “No.”  Cupid. Lurid. Drooped, if you wanted to stretch it.

                “Well, if you did, that would be me.  Stupid… whatever.  That’s what I was.  But… I got better.  I mean, I gotta understand him… sorta.  He was hurt.”  She yawned.  “He felt all alone, y’know?  Like nobody could really unnerstand him, b’cause no body’d been where he’d been.  And here was everybody thinking he was cool and had it all together…”  Another snort of amusement.  “W’en all the time he was just being an id’it.  A big, jerkass, lonely, angry, id’it.”

                “So you’ve mentioned.”

                “But ah… I wanted to HELP him.  Y’know?  Once I f’gured out what his problem was.  An’ Naruto wanted to help him too, because Naruto’s just cool like that.  An’ he… An’ he wasn’t having nothing of it.  Thought he’d be stronger or somethin… somethin’ with his brother.  Thought he’d be more powerful without friends.”  She gave a sobbing hiccup.  “Id’it.”

                “Quite.”

                “If he’d let us, we woulda helped him… me and N’ruto.  Coulda helped him fight Itachi.  Kept that jerk Madarra from getting to him first.  I told him, I said, ‘I’ll leave the vill’ge for you!  Lemme help you in y’r revenge!  Shit like that, y’know.  Kinda selfish, but hey…”  She shrugged and nearly fell off the console.  “…y’do crazy things when y’r in love.”

                “So I’ve heard.”

                “But he said no.  Said thank you.  No thank you. Whazzat mean, anyway?  It mean ‘No thank you’s,’ or ‘No, thank you?’  Or ‘No, thank YOU.’  Could mean all sorts of things.”  She puzzled over it a moment and suddenly burst into tears.  “Not that it MEANS anything NOW, because now he’s BEING all DARK and id’iotic and I don’t even…”  Her drunken tears choked her for a second.  “I don’t even know what he is now.  He’s gone.”

                “A sad story.”  Batman frowned at an image of Gotham city and the pale, green-cloaked giantess.  Where did that come from?

                “You know anybody like that?”

                To his credit, Batman did search his mind for a moment before answering, “No.”

                “Good.  ‘Cause if you did, they’d be id’its.  And you should talk to ‘em and get ‘em to stay before they go all ‘I must avenge’ on everyone.  Kakashi… Kakashi-shenshei alwus said... ‘revenge don’ work…’ or somethin’ like that, I guess.  Mebbe it was, ‘leads nowhere’ or ‘leaves ya all dark and lonely and id’itic.’  Somethin’ along that line.”  The girl tilted her head back for another swig from the flask before taking it away and blinked at it owlishly.  “I’m out.”  She announced, puzzled.

                “So you are.”  Batman agreed.

                “Ya hash any sake I could borrow?”

                “No.”

                “Oh.  Well, that sucks.  Guess I’ll find Lee and see if he has anymore.”  The girl slid off the console and nearly collapsed on the floor.  Slowly, she hoisted herself upwards and began to stagger to the door.  It whooshed open and she stared at it, bewildered.  “Thish doorway sneezes!”

                “Mmhmm.”  Batman did not turn.

                “Are you alright?” interjected a new voice.  Batman swiveled to observe a strangely concerned Diana standing at the door with Sakura.

                Sakura, for her part, merely grinned broadly.  “Hey!  It’sh the Night Hawk!  How’re ya!”  Her mind caught up to the question and she shook her head benignly.  “Nah.  I’m alright.  Cone sold stober, that’s me.  Do you know any id’its?”

                Blinking, Wonder Woman looked to Batman.  He merely shrugged.

                “If you do, tell shem to stop being idiotic and get some friends.  ‘kay?”  Sakura patted the Amazon affectionately on the wrist before beginning to stagger down the hallway.

                Diana watched her for a moment before turning back to Batman.  “What was all that about?”

                “No idea.”  Batman returned to the computer.

 

* * *

 

                Stabbing pain forced its way through the blackness and slowly cut a path to the brain.  It formed an arm there, a throbbing, pulsing arm that became so persistent that at last Tenten creaked her eyes open just to see the thing.

                The blackened stump stared back at her accusingly from where it huddled in her chest.  The fingers of her other hand had clutched at it in her sleep and blood was creeping from beneath her blackened fingernails.  The heavy scent of burnt flesh lay on the smoky air.

                _This… this is good._

                Pain meant she was awake.  Being awake meant she hadn’t bled to death.  Being awake in the crate meant that she hadn’t been found while unconscious and was still at large in the Luthor complex.  Unless it was a genjutsu… but no.  The pain.  And she even had a flamethrower still, apparently she’d dropped it as she passed out.  All things considered, she’d been unbelievably lucky.

                Tenten had had even more luck than she knew.  The crate she had chosen to hide in was an insulated, nearly airtight one, shielding her from thermal scans and trapping the scent of her burned skin, which might so easily have brought tracking dogs.

                For a minute, Tenten just sat there, staring at her burnt stump of an arm, reminding herself exactly how lucky she was.  Then she forced her eyes closed, lifted her head, and stared at the ceiling of the crate, thinking.  So far she’d just been running nonstop, trying to stay alive and stave off exhaustion.  But she couldn’t do that forever, and now was the best time to plan out a course of action.

                _First consideration._   Tenten frowned.  _What would Lady Tsunade do?_

                The answer came rapidly.  _Lady Tsunade would regenerate her own arm, smash through the walls on a warrior slug to rescue the others, utilize an earth jutsu…_

                Tenten closed her eyes and willed the situation away.  _That isn’t helping_.

                _Okay.  Realistic options then.  One, hide in an out-of-the-way corner of the base and wait for an opportunity.  Workability dubious.  Two, find the others and break them free before leading an all-out charge for the perimeter.  Workable if others close enough and in good health.  Three, go crazy on the hallways until you find a way out, run for the border and alert Konoha, hopefully to send a rescue team.  Most direct_ (Tenten liked direct), _but also most ambiguous.  I know nothing about the distances involved._

                Actually, Tenten realized, her lack of knowledge was the single most dangerous part of the whole equation.  Without knowing more about the bases’ layout or its location, she had no idea whether she should be going up, down, left, or right.  The exits could be anywhere, and might have any amount of guards over them.  In fact, her whole journey so far might have simply taken her further from the exits.

                Tenten pressed her palm to her forehead.  _Think, girl, think_.  Up would certainly lead out eventually, though escape might not be any easier from there.  Still, it would help her get her bearings, which would be worth something.

                _Right then_ , decided Tenten, shoving the lid aside and picking up her flamethrower.  Sneak upwards, attracting as little attention as possible, and see if you can get any intel on the base.  Then you can go ballistic and start busting your way out.

                Leaping up and out, Tenten renewed her one-woman war.

 

* * *

 

                “So.  What exactly happened back there?”

                People being questioned by Batman generally looked nervous, but these two were on another level.  Naruto was staring at the floor, shaking slightly and biting his lip.  Hinata looked like she wanted to melt away and die.

                “I’m waiting.”  All things considered, Batman was actually being pretty nice to the kids.  At least, compared to his normal self. 

                Naruto cleared his throat uncomfortably.  “Um… well… I may have… unleashed the… Kyuubi.  Thing.  That’s inside of me.”

                _“Kyuubi._ Nine-tails?”  Batman frowned.  “The monitors showed only four.”

                “It was a partial transformation,” admitted the blonde, writhing in embarrassment.

                Amanda Waller, who had insisted on being present, snorted derisively.  “So long as that’s all it was.  I should hate for it to have obliterated three-fourths of Gotham as opposed to one-eighth.”

                Naruto’s head shot up.  “Did I really destroy that much?”

                “The city is fine.”  Superman cut in.

                “Physically, anyway,” grunted Batman.  “Apart from a score of heart attacks in the region, there’s no tangible damage to the people.”

                Though he suspected a hidden message in that statement, Superman let it go.  “You said you unleashed the Kyuubi.  Deliberately?”

                “In… a way.”  Naruto groaned.  “Sasuke was going to shoot _Amaterasu_ flames at the city, I had to stop him somehow.  The Kyuubi was the only way.”

                “Because obliterating the city would be better than burning it down.” 

                Naruto nearly chewed his lip off.  “I thought… I could control it better than that.  _Amaterasu_ flames are unextinguishable, not even ninjas can diffuse them.  We wouldn’t have been able to stop it.”

                Cocking an eyebrow, Batman remarked, “Your girlfriend over there seems to be able to handle them.”

                Hinata’s face flamed into color and she swayed just slightly.  Out of the corner of his eye, Superman saw J’onn’s mouth twitch.  Naruto just whirled around to stare at her.  “Huh?  You can put out _Amaterasu_ flames?  Since when?  Is this some kind of secret Hyuuga thing?”

                “N-no.”  Hinata stared fixedly at the table, unwilling to look at any of the men in the room.  “No, it’s not.”

                Stumped by that denial, Naruto furrowed his brow in thought for a moment, then asked, “Is it… something to do with that creepy guy we were talking to?”

                Batman’s other eyebrow inched upwards.  “Creepy guy?”

                But Hinata’s face had apparently told Naruto all he needed to know.  “Nobody important,” said he, a little too quickly.

                 Waller snorted.  “For a ninja, you don’t lie very well.”

                Superman sighed and pinched his nose.  “Naruto, thousands of people saw a giant flaming fox just about destroy a city, and a giant white woman stop him.  That’s not the sort of thing we can just make go away.”

                “The public’s going to want an explanation.” Batman’s glare was tangible.  “And that was MY city you nearly destroyed.  I'd like to know a few things myself.”

                _More than that_ , added Superman silently.  Neither Batman nor the people at large would be comfortable letting Naruto out of the Justice League’s hands after something like this.  One way or another, the ninjas days with the Titans were over, and Superman couldn’t help but wonder how the teenagers would take that.

                At the moment, things did not look promising.  Naruto might not be much of a liar, but he seemed to have a stubborn streak a mile long.  He matched Batman’s glare eye-to-eye and folded his arms across his chest, clearly determined not to tell them anything.

                Surprisingly, it was Hinata who broke the silence. “W-we..."  She swallowed and looked up, "We may h-have discovered wh-why we and the others c-came here.”

 

* * *

 

                Why was everything here in gibberish?  Tenten stared in frustration at the sign etched on the wall.  She was certain—fairly certain—that the design carved there was a map of the complex.  She also felt pretty sure that the big red ‘X’ marked her current location.  But neither assurance changed the fact that the scribbles  covering the rest of map made NO sense whatsoever!

                The sound of footsteps resounded in the corridor and she quickly hid herself.  Genjutsu was unfortunately impossible to do one-handed, but she could still climb walls, and ceilings came in very handy at moments.  Those security cameras WERE a problem, but they were not unavoidable for any competent ninja.  These patrols, on the other hand… they could be problematic occasionally.

                Crouching low to the ceiling, she listened as the sprinting footsteps came closer.  From the sound of gibberish (she couldn’t understand the words they said either), there were only two.  Hardly a real threat.  Holstering her weapon, Tenten considered a moment.  The steps were coming too quickly for a patrol… an alert, maybe?  Had they found her?  Or was something else happening?

                No more time to think.  Two guards rounded the corner, jogging lightly, guns at the ready.  Releasing the chakra in her feet, she landed lightly behind them, springing after the rearmost.  Her hand covered his mouth as her stump struck him hard at the base of the skull.    Dropping his limp body, her hand flew to her side. 

                The other guard turned just in time to greet the knife flying toward him.

                Tenten sighed as the now-familiar sirens echoed through the base.  Great.  Of course that whole affair had been in front of the cameras.  Every guard within miles would be converging on this location.  Quickly she searched each guard, trading the one’s laser rifle for her nearly-spent flamethrower and confiscating all the grenades she could fit on her belt.  Then she noticed the ID tag on the guard’s uniform.

                A keycard!  Tenten gave a short nod of approval.  She’d seen some of the guards using these earlier, moments before she killed them.  You used them to open doors.  The ones she’d taken off the others were no use anymore… probably the computers had shut them off somehow… so a new one was very helpful.

                More footsteps.  Many more.  Tenten sighed and bolted upward, leveling her new weapon.  Time to blast through, find an escape route, and vanish from the cameras again.  This was getting old.

 

* * *

 

                “Name’s Steel.”  The metallic man extended a hand.  “Well, more like callsign, but anyway, you get the idea.  I’m going to be flying you back to Gotham.”

                Neji gingerly shook the other’s hand.  “Why, again, am I going back there?  I just left.”

                A small whirring sound accompanied the shrugging of Steel’s shoulders.  “Hey man, don’t look at me, okay?  The big guys wanted all you kids back here ASAP right at the start, and now that everybody’s in they got time to think about what to do with you.  Bats and Supes are still up there talking to your other friends, but the other’s called in a mission for you.”

                “A mission?”  Neji arched an eyebrow.  “I am hardly in fit condition for a ‘mission,’ I fear.”

                The man smiled.  “Not that kinda mission.  You won’t have to do any fighting, from what I hear.  They just want you to spot for them.”

                “I beg your pardon?”

                “It’s Green Lantern’s idea.  Flash has already searched through that city about five times, and he hasn’t found a single trace of your Sasuke friend.  Yet you guys found him within five seconds of hitting town.”  As he pulled back the pilot’s chair, the man offered Neji the adjoining one.  “They figure maybe you could do it again.”

                “And if I refuse?”  Neji seated himself in the co-pilot’s seat and buckled himself in.

                The man’s metallic brow crinkled in confusion.  “Well… I guess then we just sit here and wait until the big guys decide what they want to do with you guys, hoping that in the meantime your friend Sasuke doesn’t mess up the country any worse than it is and get you guys in even MORE trouble than you already are.”

                “Hm.”  Neji frowned at the console.  “It was a rhetorical question in any case.”

                “Good.” 

With a tremendous rumble, the jets below shuddered into life, and Neji felt again a quiet euphoria as the Javelin left the ground.  _Someday_ , he told himself, _I must learn to operate this vehicle_.  For now, he simply watched as the steel grey of the hangar flew past to greet the open blue of the sky.  Thin shreds of cloud shredded against the sharp edge of the Javelin’s nose, and the sun gleamed unhindered through the window.

“So that eye thing… that run in the family?”

Neji blinked, slightly distracted.  “What?”

“Your eyes.”  The man grinned at him.  “Your cousin has them, but none of the other kids do.  It a family thing?”

                Frowning, Neji glanced away.  “I do not care to discuss it.”

                Steel winced slightly.  “Okay.  Sorry man.”

                For a moment, the two rode in awkward silence.  Finally, Neji turned back.  “Your skin… it is metallic.  Is that a kekkai genkai of some kind?”

                “M’sorry?”

                “A bloodline.  A… meta ability, superpower.”  Neji sometimes had difficulty with the new terms.  “Is that your power, to turn into steel?”

                Smiling, the man shook his head.  “Nope.  Common mistake, though.  This is a suit, or more like armor, I guess.  Gives me superstrength, lets me fly, stuff like that.  Made it myself.”

                “Armor, like a samaurai?”

                “Kinda an odd choice, but yeah, I guess.”  Steel chuckled as he looked over.  “Anybody could wear this suit, really, I’m just sorta greedy and keep it to myself.”

                “Anyone?  Fascinating.”  Eyes intent, Neji studied the suit once more.  “The inventiveness of your world astounds me sometimes.”

                “Sorry?”

                “Your ability to make things.  That suit.  This plane.  Those buildings below, all the medical equipment in the hospital.  In my world, we have nothing that compares.  Oh, I suppose we have similar techniques employed by chakra use, but as for equipment operable by anyone…”  Neji shook his head.  “Nothing.  These… Javelins that you fly around so carelessly… they are unheard of in our world.  There are perhaps two or three people in the world who can truly fly, and they do not lend their talents willingly.”

                Shrugging, Steel responded, “Well, not many ordinary people can here, either, unless they  have a suit like mine.  Or one like STRIPES’s.  Or a rod like Stargirl’s.  Or an energy ring.  Or…”  he frowned.  “Okay, I see your point.”

                “I was just thinking of the airplanes, to be honest, but yes, you do seem to have a great number of flying people.”  Neji’s lips twitched in something akin to a smile.  “How long should it take us to reach Gotham?”

                Steel checked the meter.  “About an hour.”  He said.  “This is one of the older Javelins, they don’t go as fast as the others.”

 

* * *

 

                Tenten’s fingers touched a nerve cluster on the man’s neck and he dropped senseless to the ground.  For a moment she considered putting a hole through his head for safety, but discarded the notion.  She needed to save ammo.

                Sirens were still blaring, but whether because of this attack or one of the previous ones, she really couldn’t say.  At some point, whoever was in command up there had apparently had just decided to leave the alarm on

                More grenades.   She’d need those to get past the guard squadrons coming after her.  The gun was no use, it was fairly low-grade.  The helmet, Tenten could use, a stray shot from the last skirmish had left a smoking graze along one side of her old one.  Quickly she discarded it and picked up the new one.  The key-card…

                Tenten frowned as she ripped it from the man’s jacket.  This one looked… different somehow.  More fancy.  Maybe it unlocked more things?   Or did it quicker?

                She’d have to try it out later.  Right now there were other things.  Regardless of whether they’d seen her with these, she needed to keep moving, it wouldn’t take long for them to figure out her location.  Maybe blasting down a wall…

                At that moment, her thoughts were stopped by a pale man rising up through the floor.

                Tenten bit back a scream as she leaped back and leveled her laser rifle.  Fifteen rays of death shot through the man’s pale coat without effect.  In a single fluid motion, the ninja shouldered her gun and snatched a grenade, pulling the pin with her teeth.  It went flying toward the man’s floating form and exploded.

                The man simply stood there, floating amidst the explosion.  Tenten would say he looked amused, except for one simple fact: the man had no head.  A pale top hat floated above his frock coat and cravat, and a monocle suspended in the intervening space, but eyes, mouth, nose, or skull there was none.

                _A… ghost?_   Tenten’s frenzied mind thought. 

                Whatever it was, the figure raised its cane at Tenten.  You didn’t have to be a weapons specialist, or even a ninja, to know what that meant, and Tenten was rolling out of the way long before the bolt of magic blasted into the wall.  Recovering quickly, she turned and bolted down the hallway, throwing back another grenade, more for cover than anything.  The magic bolts were going wild, but that couldn’t last.  If she could just get to a…

                The thought froze in her mind as a huge bulk of a man rounded the corner ahead of her.  She caught a momentary impression of a giant in blackish-blue and red, one eye glowing with malevolent light.  With surprising agility the man leapt at her, and she just barely managed to dodge.  Her gun whipped around, and without hope, she fired.

                However, it seemed lasers DID hurt this figure, even if they also enraged him.  He howled and clutched his shoulder, turning toward her with a new fury.  Heartened, she opened up with rifle again, but he was more wary now, dodging from side to side, and she could see the ghost drawing closer. 

 _Enough of this._   Tenten rolled away, dodging and firing with all her might.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the giant raise his wrist, and soon heard the crackle of gunfire.  Bullets whizzed about her, and she leapt from wall to ceiling to floor in a frenzied dance.  Some nipped her good shoulder and she clenched her teeth in pain.

This was no longer a game.

 

* * *

 

 

                “The problem with being a god is that everyone expects you to solve their problems,” observed Luthor, studying the streets below.  “They assume that all your overworldly power and glory is for their benefit alone, and never think that you know best what to do with it.  Vastly annoying.”

                Captain Dio gave a slight nod, not exactly daring to comment on the subject.  To be honest, he wasn’t exactly certain what his boss had called he and his men out here for.  It wasn’t like his boss needed firepower.

                “In this instance, here I am, in Gotham, seeking the Sharingan, or rather the Uchiha.  The one, last step to godhood that will allow me to complete the puzzle.  And what do I get?  Annoying underlings whining about how a churlish prisoner is loose in the hallways.”  Snorting, Luthor gave a trivial gesture with his hand.  “She’s a barely useful prisoner, and as far as I can tell, has no power whatsoever.  Yet they see fit to interfere in my quest to godhood with a request for aid!”

                Dio didn’t really understand what his boss was saying there, but there was nothing particularly new about that.  So he nodded again.

                With a sigh, Luthor let his hands fall at his sides.  “Pah.  Enough of that.  It’s not even worth my attention.  What IS is the rather disturbing absence of the Uchiha in Gotham.”

                That statement had to be addressed.  “Sir?”

                “He’s not here, you idiot,” snapped Luthor.  “If he was, I’d have felt him the moment we arrived, and he me.  We would have been drawn together.  But he’s not.  So the question is, where did he go, and how?”

                “Perhaps the League found him, sir?”

                Luthor snorted.  “Don’t be ridiculous.  I may be masking us from their notice, but that’s not because I’m afraid of their power, it’s just simply more convenient.  Uchiha would never have been taken by them.”  He frowned, once again studying the streets.  “No.  It’s something else.”

                “Ah.”  Dio decided it was time to bring up the one subject that’d been on his mind.  “Sir?  If he’s not here, then… perhaps we could move somewhere else?  A more stable holding point, perhaps, like on top of a building or something?”  _Or anywhere except floating in midair?_

                Luthor rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers twice.  The first snap burnt Dio to a crisp, the second restored him again.  “I suppose we might as well.”  He shrugged.  Slowly, the squad of floating men began to lower to a building. “But we’re not leaving Gotham till we discover some hint of where Uchiha’s gone.  I’m so close now… he’s not escaping me this time.”

 

* * *

 

               

                Quiet hung over the icy glass cell like a pall, relieved only by the occasional spark from the single lamp above it.  The white light glared down unmercifully on a emaciated figure clad in tattered gold and red, sprawled untidily on the cell’s glass floor.

                Kid Flash had spent some weeks within the six-by-six-by-six dimensions of this glass crate, and knew every specific about it.  He knew that it wasn’t really glass, it was too hard for that.  He knew that the surfaces could be charged to shock him if he didn’t do what the bald man said.  He knew that the hatch on the one side was how they sent in food, and that the drain on the other was how he sent it out.  He knew that they fed him just enough to keep him alive, so he wouldn’t have the energy to run. 

                Currently, he knew that the two guards outside were deliberately taunting him, savoring every minute of that beautiful, high-calorie lunch they were opening _right_ in _front_ of him _just_ within the light where he could practically smell it…

                That was when the first explosion came.

                Explosions were something new.  The sirens had been going on for hours now, and neither Kid Flash nor the guards really even noticed them anymore.  There had been a lot of patrols going by too, but that wasn’t particularly unusual either.  Explosions… they hadn’t heard a lot of explosions.

                The two guards set aside their lunch and moved to the door, guns at the ready.  The explosions were getting louder now and closer together.  Kid Flash crawled a little closer to the wall of his cell, somewhat curious himself.

                The explosions were very close now.  There was a thump outside their door.  Both guards tensed and pointed their weapons…

                And the door beeped cheerily as it popped open to reveal absolutely no one.  The guards had all of two seconds to relax before the lady walking on the ceiling shot them dead.

                Kid Flash blinked as the lady leapt into the room and slammed the door shut.  Sure, he knew lots of girls, some of which flew, fired magic beams, or altered probability, but walking on ceilings was a new one.  Come to think of it, girls with missing hands were pretty new too.

                The girl turned from piling things up against the door and did a double take.  “ _Nani?_ ”  A quick jog took her right over to the glass, and she frowned at him through it.  “ _Anta dare_?”  She asked, clearly confused. 

                Unable to understand the girl’s strange jargon, Kid Flash tried to pantomime that he was trapped and wanted to get out.  The lady just kept staring at him, apparently unable to understand his presence there.

                Suddenly there was another explosion, rather different from the other ones and much, much closer.  The door shook and the light above it flashed alarmingly.

                “ _Kuso_!” swore the girl.  “ _Maa ii, koko kara dete ikou_.”  She gestured him away from the glass and threw a grenade.  It exploded, sending bits of cell flying and leaving the front open to the elements.  The air smelled different somehow, and for the first time Kid Flash realized that the air in his cell must have been drugged.  “ _Arukaru_?” questioned the girl, picking her way toward him.

                But Kid Flash paid her no heed.  In one second he was across the room, wolfing down the guards lunch, in two second he had the barricade down and the door blown open, and in three seconds he’d eaten half of the mess-hall’s dinner.

                Somewhere three-tenths through the fourth second, he dashed back to his cell and grabbed the lady.  If she was in trouble, he reasoned, it was only fair that he help her escape too.

 

* * *

 

                _“KGBeast and Gentleman Ghost have lost contact with the target.  Kid Flash is loose…“_

_“Security breaches at checkpoints Alpha, Gamma, Chi, Beta…”_

                “ _Verdammt_!” hissed Ravensbruk.  “If Flash has her, she is as good as out already.  Luthor vill kill us both.”

                “If that is all he does, I will not be so disappointed.”  Fisker frowned.  “Still, it’s not over yet.  The only exit they can use is the street access one, and that is secured.”  His finger flew to the intercom.  “Metallo, Livewire, stand ready.”

 

* * *

 

                _HallwayhallwayhallwayROOMback hallwayhallwayELEVATORSHAFTBOUNCEBOUNCEBOing.  HallwayhallwayWOoop.  Map._

_Study.  Locate exit ah there it is.  Girl barfing.  Yuck.  On again._

_HallwayhallwayhallwaySecurityCheckpoint TOO SLOWHAHAAhahahallwayhallwaystairs.  Patrol bullets dodge whizzwhizz TOO SLOW Punchpunch knockout HAha sucker. HallwayhallwayLIGHT.  Exit.  Fasterfasterfaster…_

_Blast?_

 

* * *

 

                An enormous shockwave rocked the Javelin, and Neji experienced the sudden violent sensation of having his stomach turned inside-out.   “ _Nani_?”  he cried, momentarily slipping into his own tongue.

                “Shit!”  Steel did not seem any better pleased than he at the turn of events.  “I dunno, some kind of energy beam just came out of nowhere.  Strap yourself in, I’m going to have to land this thing.  Steel to Metro Tower, come in Metro Tower…”

                Neji was already strapped in, but he held tight to the edges of the seat and activated his Byakugan, searching for their attacker.

                “…taking fire just above Dakota city, am attempting emergency landing.  Attackers unknown, possess…”

                The veins around his eyes pulsed and the walls around him were stripped away, empty before his all-piercing gaze.  Above, below, left, and right, all were open to him in equal focus, from the clouds above to the cars cruising below.  He saw Steel’s suit, Steel’s face, and Steel’s brain all at once.

                And he also saw a very familiar chakra signature down below.

                Neji, for once in his life, lost his reserve.  “Tenten?”

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke tasted the acrid sting of gravel as he collapsed to the street.  On his face, he could feel the empty socket of his left eye burning, throbbing, wiping out all other sensations.  His face was warm and sticky, the hand he pressed to it was sticky, there was the smell of red in the air.  Drums were pounding in his ears.

                “That was close.”  He faintly heard above him, and then there was a slight touch on his shoulder.  A coolness washed over him, extinguishing the fire on his face and quieting the drums in his ears.  Hands and face were still warm and slick with blood, but vaguely, Sasuke became aware that the hole in his head was no longer bleeding.  He could almost feel the skin forming over it.

                With the loss of pain came the gain of awareness.  He was lying face down in the grit of an alleyway.  A half-rotten banana peel sprawled inches from his face, and a pile of rat droppings were squashed under his right hand.  Above him the warm sun was beating down through the long tall buildings of glass, gleaming off their burnished sides.

                Just behind him reared a tall, pale man in a green trenchcoat, his vibrant red hair streaked with white.  His burning green eyes burned holes into Sasuke’s back.

                “Uchiha Sasuke.”  His voice came clearly to the ninja’s ears.  “It is time we had a talk.”


	19. Perception

                _Terrific, we need you in the conference room._

 _J’onn, is this important?_ thought back Mr. Terrific.  By this point most leaguers knew how at least make their thought conversable with the Martian.  _We have a developing situation in Dakota, Steel and one of the visitors went down._

                _I’m on my way up, I’ll handle it.  But we need you in the conference room, you need to hear what the girl has to say.  Grab Blue Devil too, and Green Arrow if you can find him.  I’ve already contacted most of the leading members, they’ll be there too._

_All of them?  J’onn, what exactly is this?_

                There was no reply, and Mr. Terrific simply turned from the console with a sigh.  “Stargirl, STRIPES.  Get in there and provide backup for Steel if he needs it.”

                “Something going on?”  Green Arrow questioned as Terrific strode for the door.

                Shrugging, the other answered.  “Apparently, that one girl has an earful.  They’re calling in all the important ones.  You too, for some reason.  Come on.”

                “Me?”  Arrow arched an incredulous eyebrow as he fell behind the scientist.  “Hey, I’m the League’s resident hippie.  Whadda they want me in there for?”  The two passed a silent Martian.  “J’onn, what’s going on?”

                “You’ll see,” came the tight-lipped response.  “Better hurry.  Terrific, is Flash still searching Gotham?”

                Terrific offered a short nod.  “Still no sign.  He says he’ll keep it up, though.”

                “I’ll tell him to search harder.  It’s more important than ever that we find that boy.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Do not try to run, boy.”

                “I don’t _run_ ,” snarled Sasuke, struggling upright to face this new upstart.  He spat blood on the ground.  “Not from anyone.  Who are you and what did you just do?”

                “I am Uriel, angel of…”  The red-haired man stopped and appeared to think for a moment.  “I am the Spectre.”  He finally decided.  “The angel of vengeance.”

                “Are you now.”  Momentarily, Sasuke wondered when he’d learned what an ‘angel’ was.

                “As for what I did,” continued the green-clad man, “just now I teleported you out of Gotham and healed your wound.  And bestowed True Hearing upon you.”  He added as an afterthought.  “It will be useful for you to understand your surroundings for the next couple days.”

                Sasuke merely arched an eyebrow.  “You have a poor idea of vengeance.”

                “I am more than that,” replied the other.  “But I think you will find my ideas to be quite enough for you.”

                This time, Sasuke snorted.  “I do not need your help.  I shall revenge my brother’s murder on…”

                “You misunderstand me.”  The sheer ice in the angel’s voice caused even Sasuke to pause.  “It is _you_ I am here to deal with.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “You’re sure?  It’s one of your friends?”

                Neji gave a clipped nod without breaking stride.  “One of my missing companions.  Tenten, a team member of mine.  She’s due north of us.”

                “That’s around the blast origination point.  A whole block of the city’s torn up from the explosion.”  Steel glided overhead, one hand clutching his massive hammer.  “You think she was the one that hit us?”

                “Doubtful.  Tenten’s chakra capacity is far below norm, and her talents are mostly in weapon management.  Unless she has somehow acquired a rocket launcher of some…”  Neji’s voice trailed off as he caught sight of something ahead.

                Steel saw it too.  “Heads up!”  He cried, swerving in mid-air, just barely dodging the bolt of green energy that smashed into the building just behind him.  Neji, who had not waited for Steel’s order, came out of a roll and broke into a celestial spin, just in time to deflect a charged shock of lightning.

                “Damn!”  swore Steel, still hovering.  “What’re THOSE two doing in Dakota?”

                Neji didn’t bother asking who ‘those two’ were.  Constant practice had heightened his Byakugan’s attention to chakra-less signatures, and these two malefactors were QUITE evident.  One was large, skeletal, and nearly entirely composed of metal; the blue-haired lady beside him crackled with a disturbing amount of raiton energy.

                Most importantly, though, they were both clearly in pursuit of Tenten.  He could see her now, struggling to lift up some other figure off the ground.  There was no way she could escape them.  “Steel…!”

                “I see her now, kid.  Sonofa… she’s got Kid Flash with her!”  Putting on a fresh burst of speed, Steel called back, “Listen, I’ll hold them off!  You grab the others and get back to the Javelin!”

                The hero shot away before Neji could argue.  Though a part of him sincerely doubted whether the other could take on both the attackers, the more practical side of him squashed that feeling.  _The mission comes first_ , he reminded himself grimly, trying not to think of his experience in the Sasuke retrieval mission.

                Neji dashed down the street, pushing aside pedestrians, vaulting over speeding cars, running over buildings in his hurry.  Chaos swept around him as citizens fled from and police rushed toward the scene of destruction.  Far ahead, his enhanced vision saw Steel plow into the two villains, sending the woman flying with a single blow from his massive hammer before engaging the enormous cyborg in hand-to-hand combat.  The sight only made him run faster—Steel didn’t look like he could hold for long.

                He was dashing through the shattered buildings now, and the lack of obstacles made things easier.  Sure, flaming buildings were still crumbling around him, and the terrain was a little tricky, but at least he didn’t have to worry about running anybody over.

                There!  In ordinary vision, Tenten was a blob of burnt black and brown against the flaming debris, in Neji’s eye, she was a gleaming beacon of chakra.  In either perspective, she was clearly weak and in pain.

                “Tenten!”

                A pair of wild eyes flew up to meet him and something whizzed past his left ear.  “Neji!”  she gasped, lowering the weapon she was carrying.  “What… you’re… how did…?”  Her eyes hardened suddenly.  “Is this a genjutsu?”

                “Don’t start.”  Neji dropped just alongside her.  “We need to go.  Now.  My friend is dealing with your pursuers, but…”

                “Haven’t had genjutsus yet… bald guy didn’t know about chakra… Is it really you, Neji?”

                “Yes.  We have no time to discuss this.”  Neji stooped, picking up the tattered form of the red-yellow teenager at her side.  “There.  Come quickly, there’s a…”  Neji searched for the word ‘jet’ in Japanese, “…vehicle waiting over here.”

                “I… I…”  Tenten swayed and collapsed.

                A hiss of nervous frustration escaped Neji.  With difficulty, he stooped and shouldered Tenten’s limp body, letting the gun fall from her hand.  He struggled to his feet and made back toward the city as quickly as was safe.  Steel looked to be doing better now, but Neji wasn’t taking any chances.  Once in the city, he could hope for police back-up, and the Javelin probably had some defenses he could use.  Besides the League had to…

                Pain seized his muscles and wrenched them in.  Every nerve in his body was burning, throbbing, shriveling with a kind of frenzy.  He barely even felt himself hit the ground, and even as the pain left, his arms and legs refused to move.

                “Hiya, kiddo!”  A pair of feet materialized before him.  Pushing through the pain, Neji forced himself to focus on his attacker—a tall, pale woman with electric blue hair.  _Hadn’t she been slammed across the city?_ “Not a bad run, but going toward the city was practically the worst thing you could do.”  She smirked as her hands crackled with energy.  “Not that it makes that much difference.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Does that feel any different?”

                “Yes… yes.  Much better, thanks.”  The faceless man appeared somewhat distracted.  “Yes, thank you.  Thank you very much.”

                “You’re… welcome?”  Ino had thought that characters like Sai and Lee had long ago used up her capacity to be freaked out, but this guy took the cake.  Even apart from the fact that he HAD NO FACE, he kept muttering all sorts of things under his breath, things that didn’t make sense even in English.  “So long as you’re feeling better.”

                “Yes, I’m feeling better.  That wasn’t a Zoroastrian ritual, was it?”

                A blink.  “Uh… no.  No.  Who’re the Zorro Asians?”

                “Excellent.”  The man laid back on the bed.  “Zoroastrians use natural energies to merge with the psychic web and seal souls.  Could end up in the Macy’s nail clippers line.  Zoroastrians…”  His face achieved a new focus.  “Zoroastrians have connections to Mayo clinic and Fisher-Price line of children’s toys.  Remember to avoid.  Bad for…”

                The woman at the end of the bed cut in at this juncture.  “Don’t mind him.”  With a nervous laugh, she offered, “He’s had a bit of a shock just now.”   She patted the man’s hand with a purple-gloved palm, trying to smile and bite her lip at the same time.

                Ino’s eyes narrowed.  True, she didn’t know this couple, and certainly not this man, very well, but she DID know gossip, and her ‘juicy-story-detector’ was blaring.  Something was going on here.  She could… but no.  J’onn had expressly told her never to use it for private ends.  And truthfully, she felt a little afraid of releasing her newfound abilities, now that she’d finally managed to corral them.  She’d used them in the battle, sure, but sending messages to open minds was immensely different from prying information from closed ones.

                So instead, she just shrugged and put away her medical kit.  “Yeah, Sasuke has that effect on people.  He’s just lucky he didn’t get hit with any major genjutsus, could’ve driven him insane.”

                “HUNTRESS!”  The man sat up straight suddenly.  “47% of children conceived in Gotham become steady customers of the Starbucks coffee chain!  Wireless signals employed by the company affect…”

                “Later, baby.  Later.  It’ll be fine.”  Huntress patted the man’s hand again.

                Pausing in her work, Ino frowned doubtfully at the patient.  “Maybe I ought to get J’onn-sensei.  Sasuke might have tried something…”

                “No, no, he’s fine.  He’s always like this.”  Again Huntress offered the girl a nervous smile.  “You can go now.”

Ino’s eyelids tightened in suspicion a few more millimeters.  “No, I think I should stay.”  She smiled.  “After all, you said you weren’t feeling well either.  Maybe if I had a look…”

“No, no.  That’s quite all right.  I don’t want to be a bother.  You can go now.”

“Oh, it’s no bother,” assured Ino, moving past the stretcher to the oddly nervous Huntress.  “I mean, you told us where Sasuke was, so we kinda owe you anyway.  And since I’m here…”

“No, really, it’s fine.”  Huntress backed up a few steps, knocking into a tray of instruments.

“It’ll only take a few minutes, I promise.  I just want to make sure…”

“Don’t let her!”  Question suddenly ordered from the bed.  “Teleporting ninjas have proven links to the Mayan hair salon!  Techniques probably involve energies from Tibetian alien artifacts, could prove harmful to the child.”

“VIC!”  Huntress nearly screamed, eyes wide in shock and embarrassment.

“What?”  Ino glanced from one to the other.  “Child?” 

Suddenly, her medical training kicked in.  Unfit condition.  Morning sickness.  _Child_.

Ino’s hands flew to her mouth it unleashed a squeal.  “ _Ohmigod you’re pregnant_!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Me?”  Sasuke turned, with just the slightest roll of his eyes.  “You’re here to deal with me?  Of course you are.  Everyone is, it seems.”

                “That is merely one of the matters we will have to address,” commented the Spectre.

                “We will address nothing.”  Chakra sparked about Sasuke’s hand as the sound of chirping filled the air.    “I’ve talked with enough idiots today, and I’ve just decided not to bother anymore.”  His remaining eye flickered to red as he charged forwards.

                The tall pale man in the green trenchcoat didn’t flinch.  He didn’t gesture.  He didn’t even so much as roll his eyes.  He just stood there, burning green orbs staring at Sasuke as the teenager charged for him.

                _…Sasuke was dead, his mutilated carcass lay on the floor in a thousand pieces, each piece individually alive and full of pain…_

_…an eyeless corpse lay on the floor, a pensive Madara above it.  Sasuke felt both holes in his head, he felt the stone-cold death filling him…_

_…the fires crackled and chuckled as they shriveled their way through his skin and muscle…_

_…alive, alive now, but in the thousand tortures of a genjutsu-induced nightmare…_

_…the raspy warmth of wood thrust through his heart…_

_…bits of bone dug into the soft flesh of his brain, freeing it to the chill of air…_

_…water slowly bubbled through his lungs and smothered him…._

_…Sasuke was dead…_

                “Now that we have established who will be deciding what,” continued the Spectre calmly, once again in front of a very-much-alive Sasuke in the gloomy alleyway.  “Let us address the first of those matters I was talking about.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _Elemental affinity._   Neji reviewed mentally.  _The aptitude a ninja has for jutsus involving a certain element._ In his case, lightning.  Though it did not, theoretically, limit the ninja to jutsus of that single element, training usually focused on strengths, so few learned jutsus outside their affinity, apart from a few low-level ones for emergencies.  Kakashi-sama was an exception, as was Sasuke.  And, of course, kekkai genkai users like Yamato-san, but as most people only had one affinity, most only learned jutsus of a certain type.

                Neji was rather regretting that training fixation at the moment, as his body lay rigid on the city street.  Elemental jutsus were ALREADY hard enough in this world, it seemed, and the few wind jutsus he knew barely did anything to this… electric lady.

                Fortunately though, as a lightning type, the shocks wore off quickly.  Even more fortunately, this lady seemed rather talkative.

                “Metallo thinks he’s all that, y’know?  Like, ‘ooooh, I’m the big bad robot guy who beat up Superman.’  Psh.  That’s not so hard, the guy’s powered by a chunk of Kryptonite.  Any two-bit thug can take out Superman like that.  I just about took out the whole city.  CITY, kid.”

                “Most interesting.”  Neji could finally move his jaw.

                “Yup.”  The lady nodded, seemingly oblivious to the police gathering at the other end of the street.  “Sucked energy out of the whole place and let it out into Superman.  Gave him the headache of his life, I’ll bet.   And then the jerkass had to go and wear rubber gloves.”  Suddenly blasting a lightning bolt in the direction of the police squad, she frowned at Neji.  “Does that seem like cheating to you?  It sure does to me.  When I was a newscaster… well, not newscaster, but I was a radio personality…”

                “I can believe it.”  grunted Neji.  Feeling was coming back into his legs.

                “…well, I woulda knocked him for unfair play.  Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah.  Metallo.  Idiot.”  She gave a small nod of satisfaction.  “I mean, they tell us to stop Kid Flash, and the guy’s like, ‘okay, Livewire lady, you stay out of this and let the man handle it.’  And he goes and fires his enormous big meta-beam, cause that’s TOTALLY going to work, and the kid just dodges it, because helllloooo?  Fastest thing alive?  But me, I’m lightning fast.  Like, literally, I AM lightning.  So I just shoot through the electrical system, catch up with the kid, and shock him through the leg.  Piece of cake.  Nothing Metallo could do, because that guy’s an idiot…”

                “So you’ve mentioned.”  His hands were working now too.  Slowly, imperceptibly, he collected chakra in his palms, molding it, focusing it.

                “…No, you don’t get it, though.  I mean, he’s a REAL idiot.  I’ve got Kid Flash down, right?  And yet, he has to go and shoot AGAIN, because, you know, he just wouldn’t be macho if he couldn’t let loose an incredible burst of pointless power.”  She snorted, sending sparks from her nose.  “Men.  Anyway, he does that, and of course he blasts out half a block just with it.  Completely misses the kid, somehow hits YOU guys instead, and limits me incredibly because he knocks out all the power lines in a mile radius.  I mean, a city is my HOME.  Tons of power lines, tons of batteries, tons of electricity just SITTING around waiting for me to up and grab…”

                Neji shot up.  He rolled forward and jabbed out with a fist laden with chakra, aiming straight for the woman’s midsection.  It connected…

                And the sheer shock knocked him backward.  Livewire’s skin was, predictably, charged.

                “You BRAT!  That hurt!”  The lady was at his side in what seemed like no time at all, hands, skin, eyes, even hair crackling with anger.  “That is IT!  I don’t care HOW badly Luthor wants you idiots alive, I’m going to…”  Her voice trailed off as the crackling around her died slowly down.  Perplexed, she stared at her hands.  “Okay, what the hell just happened?”

                A solid block of concrete landed on her, neatly missing Neji by inches.  A few minutes later two steel girders and an enormous tank of water crashed over that.

                “Ha!  Take that!”  The new voice made Neji look up.  A few feet above him in the air, a dark-skinned boy in a flowing blue jacket and a strange mask was pumping his fist.  His teeth were bared in an enthused grin, and his dreadlocks flowed in the wind.  He stood on what appeared to be a floating trash-can lid.

                _Flying._   Neji allowed himself a small sigh.  _Of course he can fly._

                “Another of you brats?”  Livewire was back, crackling into life a few feet away now.  “Scram.  Don’t you know not to poke your nose in other people’s business?”

                The flying boy’s eyes narrowed.  “Hey lady, I’m Static.”  His own hands began to crackle with a now-familiar energy.  “And Dakota City IS my business.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Silence closed over the room like the lid on a coffin.  Assembled heroes, aliens, and demonic-like incarnations stared in disbelief at the two ninjas at the end of the table, who simply writhed with embarrassment.     From his position just behind them, Superman did his best to keep his face confident and impartial.  He was the leader, after all.  It was up to him to keep things together.

                For the moment, though, he had to get the two teenagers out of here.  They’d been through their story three times now, and Hinata, who’d borne the brunt of the shock and disbelief, looked about ready to burst into tears.  Naruto was holding up well enough, but even he might explode if this kept on for much longer.

                “If no one has any questions for our two ninjas…” he paused as several heroes lifted their heads, “…any URGENT questions, then, I think we’d better dismiss them.”

                “Half a moment.”  Green Lantern spoke up.  “You two kids are SURE you can’t remember where you met this weird guy of yours?  Or who the old man with him was?”

                “No.”  Hinata squeaked.

                “Uh… nah.  Nah,” confirmed Naruto, much less convincingly.

                Superman shot Green Lantern a look.  _Let it go for now._   The dark man frowned but shrugged and leaned back.  They could get J’onn to probe later, right now it was obvious they’d get no more out of the two.  “Anything else then?  No?  Okay.”  Glancing back at Lantern, he continued, “GL, take these two to Deck 9.  Lodge them in the guest quarters and get some people to look after them.  The others too.”

                He didn’t need to spell things out for the ex-Marine.  Neither Naruto, Hinata, nor any of the other ninjas were to leave the base until the League had decided what to do with them.  For the moment, they were essentially prisoners.  Superman couldn’t tell whether the two ninjas picked up on that, but it made little difference.  They had to stay here.

                He waited for the door to whoosh shut behind Lantern and his charges before turning his gaze to the gathered heroes.  “Blue Devil.  Dr. Fate.  Etrigan.  Zatanna.  Was that information reliable?”

                Zatanna, a slight figure dressed in a show magician’s uniform, toyed with her lip nervously.  “The Spectre exists, I can tell you that much.  Never really seen him as a human, though, so I can’t answer for that.”

                “The girl’s words have the stench of truth to them,” growled the half-demon Etrigan.  “However, it is unusual for the Sword of Vengeance to walk incarnate.  That he should choose to do so, and to this girl in particular, is troubling.”

                “I knew there was somethin’ weird about that one.  Can’t ya just have Wonder Woman use her lasso thingie on them?”  Blue Devil jerked his head toward the Amazon leaning against the wall.

                “We could try, but I’d like to reserve that.  Using it would give them the impression we don’t believe them.”

                Blue Devil snorted brimstone.  “From the sounds of things, we don’t.”

                “We have enough votes from you guys, I think we can take their word for it.  For the moment, anyway.”  Superman cast a long glance around the room.  “Now.  Time to discuss what to do about it.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “We have much to discuss, Uchiha Sasuke.”

                “Go ahead then.”  Sasuke snorted, feeling his leg.  “Talk all you want.”

                “I see you do not plan to listen, then.”

                “There is no need,” shrugged the ninja.  “If you are here to punish me for killing Itachi, then nothing that you do will make my life worse.  If you are here to turn me from avenging his death, then you are simply wasting your breath.  If it is anything else, I am not interested.”

Spectre sighed.  “That is the key matter for discussion, Uchiha.  You constantly think that everything in the world revolves around you and your petty revenge.  You lack… perspective.”

                Then suddenly Sasuke felt a great rushing sensation, and became aware that the ground, the city, the world itself were shooting away from he and the strange red-haired man.  He caught just a fleeting glimpse of his body, lying in the alleyway, before they were above the buildings, and had barely time to appreciate the size of Gotham before they were moving through the clouds.  Then they were somehow  out beyond the clouds even, and the ground below them shrank and shrank until it became a great green globe, floating against a star-spangled background.

                And still they went rushing.  They swept past another great globe, and another and another.  The circlet of planets disappeared into the great blackness and they began to shoot past stars.  They dashed past a great swirling blue globe, and the remnants of a dying star, with the fragments of a disintegrated planet about it. Upward and outward they shot, out into the depths of space, and Sasuke caught a glimpse of the great whirling pattern of stars beneath them.  Other groups of stars appeared.  They shot past them, above them, going farther and father out, until even the galaxies were becoming dim dots.

                Finally his companion spoke.  “This is a fraction, and just a fraction, of one universe, Uchiha Sasuke.  Tell me, where, in all this universe, is your vaunted destiny?  Of what importance is your exalted vengeance?  Where are you, even?”

                Sasuke glared and did not answer. 

                “Think you that the universe of your world is smaller?  That you are somehow ‘greater’ or of more impact in that one, than you are in this one?”  The red-haired man turned on him.  “You could die in this instant and the universe would continue to operate.  All of earth might be destroyed as we stand here, and yet, the difference would not be noticeable.” 

Leaning closer, the man let his burning green eyes bore into Sasuke.  “You, Uchiha Sasuke, are but one pitiful mortal upon a tiny planet in an eccentric universe.  I am far older and far more powerful than any being you can comprehend, and I tolerate your existence only because my Lord demands I must.   Yet, it is not said that I must tolerate you as you are.”

An even more violent rushing sensation seized Sasuke, and before he could blink they flew back through galaxies, stars, planets, and cities, back to the alleyway, and he once again was sitting on the ground of the alleyway.  Strangely exhausted, he collapsed against the wall, panting slightly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _Ohshitohshitohshitohshiiiiiiiiit…_

                Virgil Hawkins was not, by any standards, a coward.  He’d faced down everything from flaming smog monsters to giant armadillos to world-destroying computers.  And really, as far as scary factors went, an electric lady with blue hair was really pretty low on the scale.  Especially one as hot as this one.

                In fact, if he wasn’t fighting for his life, he might try to ask her out.

                Static controlled electricity.  He could pull energy from wires, batteries, even from latent charges hidden in everyday objects.  Used properly, he could direct it to induce magnetic forces and manipulate metal.  He constantly lived with the sense of the titanic power throbbing through the city, feeling every spark and  charge in the world about him.  Under certain circumstances, he’d even made giant Bat-Signals out of lightning.  Electricity was Static’s toy.

                Electricity was this woman’s LIFE.  It coursed through her veins, shot from her fingertips, crackled from her spores.  She could shoot through metal or anything else that could conduct her.  And from what he was feeling, she generated more lightning than a hydroelectric dam.

                The electrical field flared as he felt her pull lightning from the power lines and send it shooting at him.  Some he deflected with his abilities, some he dodged (inasmuch as that was possible), some he just took—electricity didn’t hurt him much, after all.  He felt about in the sea of churning power and touched the latent charges in the metal poles of a chunk of concrete.  It went whizzing at the lady, missing her only by inches as she leapt away.  Growling, she turned on him and sent a bolt of lightning straight at him.  He whipped up his shield and felt the charge dissipate.

                Man, he wished he’d paid better attention during Gear’s briefings on villains.  He kinda knew this lady—or at least remembered hearing about her.  Wire something.  Came from Metropolis.

                Metropolis.  Dangit, he was fighting one of Supes baddies!  He wasn’t getting paid enough for stuff like this!  (Momentarily, the thought occurred to him that he wasn’t getting paid at all, but he brushed it aside).  Superman-level brawlers were supposed to stick with Superman!  Or the League!  Where was the League on this one?  If they expected him to take on this one solo, they BETTER be ready to finally let him in to that flying space station of theirs.  Heck, they’d been keeping him out of the League for years because he ‘wasn’t ready’ and yet he was somehow ready to handle somebody like this?  C’mon!

                The charge slamming into Static’s shield suddenly abated and he sensed her, shooting off again deeper into the city.  Glancing over, he saw a speck of white dashing down the street at breakneck speed.

                _Here we go again_ , he sighed mentally, dashing after the villain.  _She’s after White-Eyes_.

                Maybe that white-eyed teenager scurrying on the ground was Justice League.  Ran freakishly fast.  Virgil doubted it though.  Sure, the guy had been trying to help—chucking daggers and smashing lampposts and generally knocking the lady off balance—but mostly he’d just been trying to get away with those other two teenagers. 

                Whoever that guy was, the lady was clearly after him.  She wasn’t really focused on Virgil, she kept trying to block the one guy’s path.  Static might’ve felt insulted by that if it hadn’t been one of the main reasons he was still alive.  In any case, the white-eyed guy was nearly as good at dodging her as she was at blocking him, and so far he’d made some good headway through the city—quite impressive, seeing as how he was carrying two bodies and all. 

                Anyhoo, between that his dodging and Static’s attacks, they’d given Wirewosshername quite the run for her money.  He didn’t know where the guy thought he was going, but so long as he kept Miss Electricity distracted, Virgil didn’t really care.

                There!  He sensed the surge in the electrical system moments before the woman materialized in White-Eyes path.  In a fluid path of motion, the teenager below him dropped both passengers, went into a spin and leapt into the woman, ending with a solid blow to the woman’s midsection.

                “Sonofa-“  The woman doubled over, giving the teenager enough time to leap back, grab the others, and leap over her.  Virgil couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw the guy leap off the telephone pole. 

Unwilling to think about that more than he needed too, Virgil focused on the electrical field, finding latent charges in a water tower atop the apartment building.  _Need to be tricky with this lady_. He reflected as he sent it crashing over into the street.  _Can’t just zap her like I do with most baddies._ Of course, it would help if he knew what specifically he SHOULD do against her.

                The tower hit the pavement with a resounding CRASH, sending water exploding in every direction.  Virgil felt electricity flare through it, briefly, as it met the woman’s lightning.

                And then the woman was throwing the lumber off her, a new fire smoldering in her eyes.  “You little BRAT!”  She screeched.  “I am seriously getting T.O’d with you!”

                Again the shock blasts shot at him from every direction.  But Static couldn’t help noticing… they felt weaker than before.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Finding Luthor was already a level-one priority…”  Superman paced up and down in front of the long table, “…but now finding Sasuke is up there too.  Whether this ‘Moon’s Eye Plan’ they describe could actually work here, its link with the Anti-Life Equation makes it important.  Agreed?”

                A series of nods answered his question.  Just the faintest glimmer of a smirk wavered over Batman’s lips, but Superman ignored it.  “Obviously, the other ninjas are our next priority.  If their ‘chakra’ does provide some kind of guard or weapon against this thing, then we’re going to need them as a last resort, at least.”

                “We already agreed we needed to keep them under League supervision,” pointed out Hawkgirl.  “If we stick to that, we should know how to use them when we need them.”

                Wonder Woman was shaking her head.  “I don’t think that’s all there is to it anymore.  If these children are supposed to help us, then they need to trust us.”

                “Good luck with that.”  Green Arrow snorted.

                “More than that, they’ll need to know how to fight alongside us.”  Diana threw the archer an annoyed look.  “We need to train them to work amongst the League, so that if worst comes to worst, they can help us.”

                “Right, right.”  Sighing, Superman ran a hand through his hair.  “ _That’s_ going to be a picnic, I can see it now.”

                “Not so bad as you might think.  They’ve been working with the Titans for a few months now, and J’onn’s been teaching the one girl.  By this time, I think they’ll be more receptive to the idea of working with us.”

                Superman shook his head.  “No, no, that’s not the issue.  They should go along with it alright.”  He took a deep breath.  “What I’m wondering is how, in between searching for Luthor and Sasuke and everything else, we’re going to find time to train all these kids.”

                Shrugging, Hawkgirl answered, “We have plenty of League members.…”

                “But none of them are exactly instructor material, or at least very few.”  Superman pressed his fingers to his nose and gave a pinch that could have shattered steel.  “Half of them are free-lancers who we’re still trying to teach ourselves.”

                “Your talent pool is smaller than you think.”  Waller’s voice rang from the assembled metas.  “I can perhaps get the public to swallow this idea of ‘cooperation and restraint’ you have, but they’re not going to be satisfied with you shelving our dimensional demons onto some junior members.  Not after today.  Any kind of program you’re going to be doing will have to be public and high-profile.”

                Another sigh from Superman.  “Founding members, then?”

                “With the exclusion of Hawkgirl.  She’s still too unpopular for her to publically teach anyone.  I can tell you this, though, you’re going to have to be the one to teach Naruto.”

                Heads swiveled in a universal stare.  The heavyset woman snorted.  “Oh please.  Superman is the only one they’d trust to actually hold him in rein, and also the only one they really trust, period.  Naruto is the leader of the ninjas, if you want the public to believe in this image, you need to have the two leaders together.”

                “I’m… I’m not the leader…”  Superman protested.

                “The other, less important ninjas, can probably be shunted off onto whoever you think makes the best trainer.  I suppose you could have some kind of sponsorship program set up, where one of you simply oversees the training another is giving, but officially, at least, the teachers should be founding members.”  Waller sat back, with barely a hint of humor on her face.  “Now, that should get you some idea of where to start.”

                Still rubbing his forehead, Superman tried to think.  “Okay, okay.  I can take the Naruto kid… maybe a few of the others… not much of a teacher, but I guess I can give it a shot.”  He heaved a deep breath.  “So.  Founding members.  Which of you feels up to teaching a dozen teenagers how to fight crime?”

                There was a short silence.

                “I don’t care how long you all stare at me, I’m not doing it.”  Batman said flatly.  “I’m absolutely no good with kids.”

                A smirk curved Hawkgirl’s mouth.  “Bats, you’re the only one here who actually HAS kids.  Or… apprentices, anyway.”

                “Hey, I trained Speedy!”  Green Arrow protested.

                “Robin was a special case.”  Batman thought for a moment.  “As was Batgirl.”

                “The fact remains that you trained them on your own.”  Despite his attempts to remain solemn, Superman found this almost funny.  “You, Green Arrow, and maybe Green Lantern are our best qualified trainers here.”

                Batman sighed and rubbed his eyes.  “I’m not doing it.”  He repeated.  “If there’s anyone in this room those ninjas hate, it’s me.  I attacked them.  Remember?  It’d be impossible to win their trust back.”

                “Never stopped you before.”  Diana grinned at him.

                “We’ll discuss this later, maybe,” compromised Superman, deciding to give Batman an escape route.  “Figure out which ninjas fit best with who.  In the meantime, we’ll find rooms for them and schedule a press conference to let the public know what’s going on.”  Waller gave a nod of approval.  “Terrific, talk to some of the other kids, see if they can give us a clearer idea of what this ‘Moon’s Eye Plan’ is like.  Arrow, give him a hand with that, the kids seem to trust you.”

                “Try the Sakura girl,” suggested Batman.  “If she’s sober.”

                Superman decided not to ask.  “Right then.”  He nodded.  “Let’s get to work.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Deaths whirled and swam in the darkness before Sasuke’s eyes.

 A screaming man fired again and again into a prone body on the floor of a gymnasium.  Trains barreled toward the light figure of a woman, tugging frantically at her trapped foot.  Atop a tall building, a smiling elderly man in a business suit suddenly felt the railing behind him give way, and he plunged into the empty air.  The whine of a hospital monitor announced the failure of a heart.  A young boy stepped away from a corpse on the floor, gazing in horrified fascination at the blood-soaked claws on his hands.  In a quiet kitchen, the young lady broke into spasms of laughter as her dining partner suddenly clutched at his chest and keeled over, gasping. 

“Is there some kind of point to all this?” asked Sasuke, annoyed.  “I’m a little beyond horror movies.”

“Vengeance, Uchiha Sasuke.  These are all works of Vengeance.”  The figure beside him was no longer a pale man in a trenchcoat, but rather a half-naked glowing figure in a long green cloak.  “Surely you, as a self-proclaimed avenger, can empathize?”

“Tch.  Why should I?”

“Indeed.  That is partly what makes you such an effective avenger.  And, at the same time, what makes you not much of one at all.”

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at the angel.

“You lack empathy.  On the one hand, that makes you a merciless killer, but on the other, it makes you completely unable to understand your opponent.  More importantly, it keeps you from becoming an avenger, instead making you a bearer of grudges.”  Spectre snorted.  “Hardly worth considering.”

“I fail to understand you.”

“Exactly.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Damn these kids!  They just didn’t know when to stay put and be fried!

Livewire wasn’t really having a good day.  Okay, so it was better than molding around in Luthor’s boring compound all the time, but seriously.  First having to put up with Metallo, and now this brat kept dumping water on her.  Even that might not be so bad, if it didn’t somehow disrupt her charge everytime he did.  And that sewer line he’d dug up had simply been uncalled for.

So she’d decided to teach that flying kid a lesson.  Sure, Luthor wanted the girl, and probably the boy who was carrying her too, but it wasn’t like they could actually escape her in the city.  She’d catch up to them in no time once she finished off Dreadlocks here.

The only problem was, Dreadlocks didn’t seem to want to be finished yet.

“Stay still, damn you!”  She ripped electricity from the vehicles and shot it at the kid.  He whizzed away from the bulk of them, countering a few others with some blasts of his own.  A few of her tendrils hit, she could feel it, but he seemed to shrug them off.  Perhaps a wince, and his trashcan lid wobbled a little in mid-air, but he kept right on. 

Sparks shot from his fingers and snagged a car, hurling it at her.  With a derisive snort, she shot lightning straight into the battery, overloading it and exploding the car in mid-air.  _Hah._   She thought, as the brat went flying backwards.   _That’ll teach him._   She wasted a perfectly good opening by flipping him the bird.

There were some cops roaring around the corner—SWAT this time, from the sound of it.  Dakota city had seen its fair share of metas, so they might have some fancy equipment.  Nothing at her level, though.  Livewire spared just enough concentration to zap the cars into oblivion.

Now for the brat.  He should still be spinning from the blast, one good hit would be all it would take to…

Pain exploded through her chest as a phantom heart burst apart and reconstituted itself in a second.  It was becoming a disturbingly familiar feeling.

“DAMN it!”  She choked, coming back up from where she’d fallen.  “You again?  Where’s the girl?”

The white-eyed boy before her didn’t even flinch.  “Where you’ll never find her.  Now, I believe we have unfinished business.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “You should rest now.  Some people will come by later to bring you anything you need.”  Green Lantern said as he stepped out the door.  “Try not to go anywhere, we’re having trouble getting all you guys situated.  Okay?”

                The blonde shrugged.  “Sounds good.  Where are you going to put the others?”

                “That’s what I’m going to work out now,” smiled John, palming the door lock.  “Probably close by.  Sit tight, and get some rest.”

                The door whooshed shut before Naruto could argue, and John’s smile vanished.  Quickly he tapped on the keypad outside the door, and a number of electronic locks slid silently into position.  The door could be charged if necessary, and there were sleeping gas canisters in the ventilation system.  Guests at the Watchtower tended to be powerful, and with Batman’s paranoia, each ‘guest’ room had been designed to incapacitate its resident if necessary.

                Lantern wasn’t worried about the girl, she seemed meek enough, and far too cowed to try anything.  The blonde, however, was patently unpredictable, and obviously powerful, so he had taken some additional precautions.  Turning, he addressed the men he’d brought with him.  “If he starts anything, get in there and take him down fast.  He’s a hard hitter, so your best chance is to take him by surprise.  We don’t need a situation in Metropolis.”

                Metamorpho, Black Canary, and Vixen nodded.  They weren’t the ideal face-offs against a demon-fox with explosive powers, but they would buy some time for the rest of the League.

                “Good.”  Feeling slightly more at ease in his mind, John turned and strode back down the hallway, reaching to his ear.  “Guests secured.”  He reported.

                “Good.”  J’onn’s voice came to his ear.  “I’m allocating rooms for the others now.  In the meantime, head to the hangar bay.  Communications in Dakota City have blacked out.  We may need to send in more backup yet.”

                “Affirmative.”  John let his hand drop from the communicator and heaved a sigh.  This was turning into an interesting day, no doubt about that, and he had a sinking feeling it was only going to get worse.  He supposed it was long overdue; off-world visitors ALWAYS caused problems eventually, and off-dimension visitors couldn’t be very different.  But these… Lantern shook his head.  If that blonde got angry again, John didn’t know if they’d be able to stop him.  And the other kids were no picnic either, especially if they decided to work together.

                He just hoped Supes and the others didn’t expect him to help the kids assimilate.  He was NOT good with kids.  If he had to train any of them…

                “Excuse me sir, but I was looking for Sakura-chan and I… OOOOOOOH!”

                Green Lantern looked up to meet a pair of very round eyes covered by very bushy eyebrows under a very conspicuous bowlcut.  The teenager had bandages over a good deal of his body, but even so Lantern could see he was clad in green spandex.

                What he COULDN’T see was why the teenager was staring at his Green Lantern costume like it was some gift from heaven.  “Can I help you?”

                “YOSH!”  exploded the boy.  “Your costume explodes with the fire and vigor of youth!  Truly your spirit is fueled by the Will of Fire!”

                Lantern, feeling just slightly nervous, activated his ring , shielding himself behind its green glow.

                If possible, the boy’s eyes grew even wider.  “YOSH!”

 

* * *

 

 

 “Let me provide an object lesson.”  The Spectre’s hands moved slightly and a scene unfolded before their eyes.  A weathered workman, jogging casually along a construction zone, tripped suddenly, stumbled down an embankment, and landed directly in the path of a steamroller.  Sasuke and the angel watched the ensuing drama dispassionately.  “That,” said the angel as the horrified workers gathered around the carnage, “was Fred Kronger, also known as the Family Man.  A serial killer.  He has just experienced partial vengeance.”

“Partial?”

“Only the kind of vengeance I can give.  He shall soon pass on to other kinds.”  For a second, a terrible smile glimmered over the angel’s face, and then it was gone.  “That is my vengeance.  True vengeance belongs only to God, yet I can impart some, to ease the pain of the world.  Yet in order to wreak vengeance upon the sinful, I must understand their sin, inasmuch as an angel can.  Only when I properly understand the sin, both in the light of God’s righteousness and in the darkness of human understanding, can I wreak proper and fitting vengeance upon the sinner.”  He gestured at the construction zone before them.  “Kronger, for instance, preyed upon the weak and frail, particularly those that seemed to be multiplying.”

“Families.”  Sasuke’s voice was toneless.

“Hence his name.  He believed the weak should not make families, they should not multiply.  He attempted to squash his conscience by telling himself that certain people must be paved over to make the road to the future.”  There was just a flicker of amusement in the angel’s eyes.  “They will probably pick up most of him, unfortunately, but I’m sure there will still be a part of Kronger for the future road to pave over.”

“Hm.”

The scene shifted and now it showed a woman clad in purple spandex, leaping around a warehouse, shooting arrows into the thugs rushing at her.  “This woman, Helena Bertinelli, considers herself an avenger.  She is not, for as I have said, true vengeance belongs to God.  However, she is a sort of one, as humans go.  Death for death.  Wound for wound.  Eye for eye.”

Sasuke scowled at the remark, hand trailing up to feel at the empty socket.  The woman looked vaguely familiar.

“This woman has little of the light of God’s righteousness to understand sin in.  However, she measures it with her heart, acting upon instinct.  A crime against another is a crime against her.  She understands the grief of the victim, and therefore avenges, easing her grief by lessening others.”

Again a shift of scene.  Now there was a young man in a room, sloshing some kind of liquid about on the floor.  Another man lay unconscious in a chair just across from him, his sock sinking in a sea of the liquid.

“The man with the gasoline is called Ethan Brunet,” said the Spectre.  “And he is killing Roland Gamston, who murdered his sister in Chicago last year.  Ethan sees himself as an avenger, but in reality he is simply an angry young man.  He does not try to understand Roland, he does not try to understand others, he does not try to understand God.  Ethan knows nothing except that he is in pain, and seeks to ease it by killing the man responsible for that.  He is not an avenger, he is merely a sick man in search of release.  In all likelihood, killing Roland will not satisfy him, and he shall move on to those who resemble Roland in one aspect or another.”

Sasuke snorted, watching with disinterest as the shapes shifted and contorted, finally becoming a dark, dirty alleyway, where a scruffy man huddled over a pistol.

“This man does not consider himself an avenger, or indeed much of anything.”  Spectre observed.  “Yet he is most like you.  He does not seek to understand the world or the people around him, he pays no regard to God or man, he cares only that he is in pain, and blames the world at large for that.  And thus, without even seeking to ease the pain or remove the cause, he lashes out at anyone less miserable than he.”  As Sasuke and the Spectre watched, a small boy ran into the alleyway, just a few steps ahead of his richly-dressed parents.  The man swung out in front of them, whipping out his gun.  The boy froze, the mother screamed, the father moved forward…

Shots echoed against the alley walls.  As if punched, the mother and father crumpled over, and the man took to his heels, not even bothering to despoil the bodies or pick up the pearls that lay in the woman’s blood.  Only the boy was left, sobbing in disbelief over his parent’s bodies.

                Sasuke’s face tightened perceptibly.  “And where is justice in this?”  He hissed.  “You are the angel of vengeance, you say, yet you let this man get away.  The only way justice shall ever come of this is if this boy grows to avenge his parents’ death.”

                “An interesting comment,” observed the angel.  “Let us examine this boy, shall we?”

                A rush of images sped past them, showing the boy moving through life and the world, studying how to fight, how to think, how to search.  Years lengthened him, hardened him, he grew into a great man and…

                Sasuke’s remaining eye widened slightly as the rush of images slowed to a new scene—the thug, now an old man, sat comfortably at a desk, unaware of the figure approaching from the shadows behind him.  The boy, now a strong, resolute warrior, was clad all in black, with a wide, sweeping cape and a sable cowl that masked his eyes.  His belt bulged with all manner of equipment, and the symbol of a bat adorned his chest.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Neji hated feeling useless.  After all, he was an acknowledged genius, a Branch Member Hyuuga, and a fully capable jounin.  There was no, repeat, NO reason for him to feel useless.

                And yet, as he crouched behind a handy block of concrete, that was precisely how he felt here.  His Jyuuken had no effect.  His lightning jutsus were worse than useless.  Even his famous Byakugan were barely helpful.  The flying boy and the electric lady were throwing lightning at each other, and he was relegated to distraction position.

                Like now.  The woman’s focus was utterly fixed on the flying boy, she was charging up an attack.  Quickly Neji dispelled his henge, dashed across a few meters of ground, and delivered a solid Jyuuken strike to the chest, leaping back even as he did so.

                “Gaah!  Oh, you dirty little sonofaBITCH!”  The woman rounded on him, just long enough for the flying boy to shatter a fire hydrant next to her.  “Gagphltbth!  And now YOU!  Oh, when I get my hands on either one of you…”

                But Neji was already gone, now underneath a handy bus, under the cover of a _henge_.  He and his erstwhile ally hadn’t exactly met to plan a strategy, but they had worked out a system.  Neji distracted her, the other soaked her with water.  Or, on occasion, the flying boy distracted her while Neji smashed open a water tank or something.

                Why water, of all things, weakened the woman, Neji didn’t pretend to understand.  It was all backwards.  WIND was supposed to weaken lightning, not water.

                A screech attracted his attention, and Neji risked a peek out from the car.  He blinked.  It seemed the woman had finally lost it.  She was shooting from power line to power line, leaping after the flying boy, sending all sorts of bolts at him.  Under that barrage, he wouldn’t last long.

                No time now.  The woman looked distracted enough, it would have to do.  Neji leapt from under the car…

                And it exploded behind him.  He rolled with the blast and glanced up as he dashed for the nearest building.  Apparently the woman wasn’t as distracted as she looked, now lightning bolts were landing all around _him_ , too.

                Neji grimaced.  This wasn’t going to be simple.

                Leaping onto the smooth glass of the nearest building, he sped up it, weaving from side to side in an attempt to dodge the blasts raking the windows around him.  Running right up around the corner of the building, out of the woman’s eyesight, his fingers flew in a flurry of seals.  Raibunshin no jutsu!  A clone easily formed out of the energy in the air and dashed off back around the corner, still dodging the blasts.

                Now to take advantage of that.  Neji continued running on the far side of the building, tracking the woman’s movements with his Byakugan.  She seemed distracted enough, dividing her attention between his clone and the other boy, but still this couldn’t last long.  That lightning clone had nearly used up all of Neji’s chakra, this had to finish things.

                Still on the far side, still running along the wall, he leapt from one building to another.   She was swiftly coming up on the roof of this one, still flying, still bombarding both fighters with lightning.  Putting on an extra burst of speed, Neji flew up the wall and leapt into the air over the roof just as she reached it.

                Neji’s Byakugan caught the split-second widening of her eye before his strike hit.

                “Four palms!”  Neji shouted, caught up in the moment as his hands flew into the woman.  “Eight palms!  Sixteen!  Thirty-two!”  His fingers screamed with the sensation of shock, but he didn’t let up, continuing to pummel her, all the hundred feet back to the ground.  He reared up with the last strike “Eight trigrams… Sixty-Four Palms!”

                They smashed into the ground, kicking up pavement, dust, and—Neji vaguely noted—steel.  Water was on him too, soaking into his garment… had they hit a water main?

                Then he wondered something else.  Why hadn’t he broken any bones?  And what on earth was he doing now, floating above the ground like this?  Didn’t you normally hit the ground when you fell?

                _Was he dead?_

                “You are some serious kind of crazy!”

                A girl.  A _flying_ girl, of course.  That rod she was waving at him must be the reason why he was floating.

                “Crazy!”  she repeated.  “If I had been a split-second later, you’d have hit the ground with that lady and probably broken your neck or something!  Didn’t even have time to catch her… oh man, if she’s dead, you’re seriously going to hear it from…”

                “Stargirl?”  The flying boy had come over.  “Man, ’bout time the League showed up.  You know this guy from somewhere?”

                The League.  That penetrated Neji’s fog.  “Stargirl… Steel… he went off…”

                “Dad went to help him,” nodded the girl.  “We split up as soon as we saw the situation.  Holy cow, Metallo and Livewire… you guys are lucky to be alive, you know that?  You especially.  If I hadn’t grabbed you with my star rod…”

                A fresh explosion made three heads turn downward.  There, crackling in all her fury, was Livewire.

                “Aw man!”  whined the boy.  “Now that just ain’t right.”

                Lightning flashed up at them.  Stargirl and the other managed to dodge.  Neji, helpless in the air, did not.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Mr. Terrific and Green Arrow walked down the hallway in thoughtful silence, each avoiding the other’s gaze.  “Well,” said Arrow at length.  “That was an… interesting account the girl gave us.”

                “To say the least.”  Terrific grunted.

                “Maybe she wasn’t quite sober yet…”

                “I examined her.  She was perfectly cognizant, and fully in earnest about the plan to turn the moon into a giant weapon.”

                “Hm,” nodded the Archer.  “Well… I suppose there have been crazier world domination plans.  And hey, it’s not like SHE came up with the plan, she just heard about it.  The other ninjas and her are probably perfectly rational, it shouldn’t be that hard to work with them.”

“Arrow, they believe in a man who defeated a gigantic floating eyeball thousands of years ago and purportedly fathered their two most powerful clans.”  Terrific groaned, three robotic probes circling anxiously about his head as he walked into the lab.  “And, moreover, that he will return, identifiable by a pair of special eyes.”

                “Look, does it matter what they believe?”  Close behind the scientist, Green Arrow him an annoyed glance.  “It brings them to the same goal as us.  The point is, they’re being honest with us now.  They trust us completely, and so far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter what they believe, so much as they REALLY believe it.”

                “You would think that, wouldn’t you.”  Terrific muttered, tugging open a drawer.  “Never mind that such a belief indicates a tenuous grip on reality which could make cooperation with them EXTREMELY difficult in the future.”

                “They’ve got a firm enough grip on the situation.  Heck, we’ve got more deranged kids in the League than them.  Creeper, for instance.”

                “Somehow, I am not reassured.”  Shrugging off his fingerless gloves and replacing them with long white latex ones, Terrific reached toward a small cooler sitting on the table.  “The only thing that DOES reassure me is that their actual ‘belief,’ or worldview, is more closely tied to this ‘Will of Fire’ that that Naruto keeps spouting off about.”  Popping open the cooler, he reached inside.  “At least THAT sounds more like a rational philosophy and less like something out of a fairytale.”

                “See?  Not so bad.  Doesn’t matter what their history is so long as their behavior… is…”  Green Arrow eyed the object in Terrific’s hands.  “Is that… an eyeball?”

His own eyes intently studying the bloody mass in his hands, Terrific answered, somewhat distractedly: “They call it a Sharingan, but yes, it’s an eyeball.  According to them, a most remarkable one at that.  The one Naruto kid ripped it out of the Uchiha’s head, Batman was thoughtful enough to recover it from the battlefield.”

Arrow winced slightly.  “And we have it… why?”

“It’s the thing that brought them here.”  Terrific’s eyes slid over to meet Arrow’s.  “Could give us a valuable hint on how to send them back, to say nothing of getting a complete genetic profile of the Uchiha, which makes him substantially easier to track.”

“Really?  The genetic part I get, but the eye itself looks a bit too banged up to do anything with.”

“That’s mostly just extraneous flesh surrounding it.”  Terrific set the eye down and reached for a scalpel.  “The organ itself is largely untouched.   If anything critical IS damaged, I can try and grow a new one from the genetic data.”

“The kids know you have that?”

“Not yet.  But if they want to get home quickly, they’ll agree to it.”  Terrific looked only slightly smug.  “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.”

“Hope I’m not interrupting.”  Both men looked up to meet Question’s blank features.  “Terrific, where are the test samples they took of Huntress’ blood?”

Terrific didn’t even blink.  “In that fridge over there, probably, that’s where they keep all the samples.  They’d be in the middle rack on the top drawer, since they’re so recent.”

“And the ones they took of me when I was out?”

“Same place, I’d imagine.”

“Thank you.”  The detective crossed over to the fridge, opened it, scanned the tubes lining the shelves for a moment before selecting a few, then walked over to the sink and poured them down the drain.

Green Arrow arched an eyebrow.   “Uh… Q?”  
                “Must destroy all traces of bodily material.”  Question replied in his even tone.   “Could be used in Mayan transformation sequence, Tibetian voodoo ceremonies.  Too easy to access here, need to destroy evidence.”  He frowned at the fridge.  “I should probably destroy them all, but if others choose to walk in ignorance, that is their affair.”  Cracking the tubes between his fingers, he tossed them into an incineration chute.  “Where is the medical records office?”

“Down the hallway, third door on the right.”  Terrific replied, still not blinking.  “Be sure to let Batman know you’re deleting files again.”

“Thanks.  I’ll remember that.”  With barely a nod, the detective vanished through the doorway.

The two heroes stared after him for a moment before exchanging a glance and a sigh.  Terrific bent back to his work, but Arrow walked to the door and glanced out into the hallway.  “You know, he’s an excellent analyst and all, but he seriously has a few screws loose.  I don’t know why they keep him in the League.”

Terrific’s mouth twisted in a small smile.  “Oh, come now, Arrow.  Does it matter what the man believes, so long as he truly believes it?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Many years passed before the man called Batman finally found Joe Chill, the murderer of his parents.”  The Spectre’s cool voice sounded over Sasuke’s shoulder.  “Chill had grown to be a crime boss of sorts, and had changed much since that night, but he still was a hardened man, neither understanding nor caring to understand the world around him.  Batman found him and cornered him.”

                “And killed him.”  Sasuke nodded.

                The angel remained silent, and Sasuke was forced to watch in disbelief as Batman moved away from Chill’s chair.  He stepped into the light.  He drew close to the desk.  Hands came to his mask and peeled it away, revealing once again the enraged face of the boy from so many years ago.

                But he did not touch Chill.  No batarangs sprouted from his fingers, no exploding pellets whipped out, no traps popped up to stop Chill as the gangboss fled out the door.

                “He’s letting him get away?”

                “Batman could have sent Chill to jail for nearly any crime, except the one he wanted,” explained the Spectre.  “The murder of his parents.  He deduced the only way to obtain a confession would be to shock Chill into making a mistake.”  There was a sudden whooshing noise, and Spectre and Sasuke swept after the fleeing criminal.  “And Chill did.”

                They entered a wide room, just in time to see Chill shouting out to his thugs of the story of how he was the source of Batman’s quest.   The assembled criminals sprung to their feet in anger.

                _Then it’s your fault he’s been on us?_

_You created Batman?_

_It’s all because of you!  YOU!_

                Shots rang out in the warehouse, and as if punched, Chill crumpled over to collapse on the pavement.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The electricity tore through his system, shredded his nerves, seized up his muscles and twisted them into funny shapes.  He barely even noticed when Stargirl finally whipped him out of the lightning’s path, didn’t even register her frantic apologies.  He only came round when she was finally setting him down behind a truck.

                “Stay here and rest.”  She said.  “Oh man… I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, I just acted on… look, just rest.  More League members are on the way.  We’ll keep her busy until then.  Just rest.”

                Neji couldn’t even argue as she sailed away, but inwardly he was raging.  Rest?  The battle was still out there!  The battle was not yet won!  He couldn’t afford to rest!  Naruto wouldn’t rest!  Not while his allies were still out there.

                Unfortunately, that meant very little.  Neji’s muscles were tied up in paralyzed little knots, and his chakra was nearly exhausted.  He couldn’t do anything to help the others, even if his Byakugan—and the enormous flashes of light that bounced off the surrounding buildings—told him how badly the fight was going.

                With frustrated helplessness, he watched the boy sail through the air over his head, then go speeding back toward the battle, behind the truck.

                Neji frowned.  Something seemed off about that.

                Livewire was forcing the boy back, blast by terrible blast.  Stargirl was hurling blocks of concrete left and right, but she was nearly so invulnerable to the blasts of lightning as even Neji was.  Slowly, the boy came into sight over the top of the truck again.

                _Came into sight?_

                Suddenly Neji realized what was bothering him.  His Byakugan gave him complete three-dimensional view, and showed him the battle behind his head, through the semi truck it rested against.  But when the flying boy moved from behind the truck, he looked… different.

                The Raiton energy.  That was it.  High as Neji’s Byakugan was, he couldn’t really distinguish the different elemental energies.  Yet, he could see a clear difference between the boy behind the truck, and the boy above his head.  The truck, or the contents of it must somehow be blocking the energy radiating from the boy.

                Neji didn’t know how that worked, or what it meant.  But as he felt feeling come back into his arms, he knew what to do with it.

                With twitching fingers, he reached into his pouch, feeling about with numbed nerves.  Finally he identified the piece of paper and drew it forth, studying the chakra seals covering it.  An exploding tag.  One of the few Konoha originals left from the fight with Sasuke and the time in the new world. 

                Feeling was coming back into his legs now.  Not enough to run with, not enough to attack with, but enough to do what he had in mind.  Sending his last bit of chakra into the tag, Neji slapped it on the side of the truck and threw himself forward, tumbling away as quickly as he was able.

                The truck exploded, releasing a cloud of dust particles.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Silicon dust.”  Batman nodded, examining the ground.  “Used in resistors and microchips to block the flow of electricity.”

                “When it caught Livewire in the blast like that, it trapped her powers.”  Lantern nodded thoughtfully.

                Standing, Batman gave a grunt of agreement.  “Something worth remembering.”

                “You going to start making silicon pellets now?”

                “In any case, we have her,” said Batman, ignoring the smirking superhero.  “And Metallo, and Kid Flash, and another one of the ninja visitors.  Narrow escape, but quite rewarding.”  He gave a small nod to the wearied teen sitting on the ambulance bumper.  “Excellent work, Static.”

                Static gave a little laugh and shook his head.  “Don’t know what I did exactly, Bats.  That other guy is some serious kind of crazy.”

                Lantern snorted.  “We know.  Still, you matched Livewire in open combat, and held her off long enough for reinforcements to arrive.  That’s nothing to shrug off.”

                “If you say so.”  Static shrugged, but his face glowed with pride.  Pausing suddenly, he stood up as two paramedics came forward with a stretcher.  “’scuse me for a moment.  Hey, White Eyes?” he called, hurrying forward.

                A stoic face stared out at him from the bandages.  “You fought well,” it said. 

                “Dude, you’re some serious level of badass yourself.”

                A grunt was his only answer.  “I am Hyuuga Neji,” said the ninja, raising an IV-covered arm.

                “Uh, Virgil Hawkins.  Static,” returned the other, hesitantly taking the hand and shaking it.  “Good to meet you.”

                Some feet away, Batman turned and raised an eyebrow at Lantern.  “Have you started training Hawkins yet?”

                “Done a few missions with him, like you have, but no.  Why?”

                “I think he should spend some time at the Watchtower.”  Batman responded, casting another glance toward the stretcher.  “Along with the Titans, if possible.  We could use an intermediary between ourselves and the ninjas.”

                Both heroes glanced up as Superman floated to the ground.  “Luthor’s base is empty.” 

                “No surprise there.”  Batman nodded.  “Still, this is the second time he’s had to move.  He’s got to slip up sometime.”

 

 

* * *

 

                The blackness came rushing away and Sasuke stumbled out of it to crash onto the pavement of the alleyway.  Slowly he pushed himself up, feeling strangely weak.

“I have shown you  perspective, shown you vengeance, and now I shall show you humility,” stated the man coldly.  “For the duration of a week you shall be as another human of this planet—without Sharingan, without weapons…” he leaned closer, “…without chakra.”

Still panting, Sasuke could do little more than glare at the man.

“More than this I cannot do.”  The man stepped back.  “For though I can show you these things, only you can see.  I shall not interfere in your affairs again.”

With that, the man vanished, and Sasuke found himself alone in the alleyway.

 

 

 


	20. Humiliation

 

                “Madara’s being disturbingly quiet,” observed the Raikage.  “We’re still getting waves of those Zetsus, but they don’t seem as direct as usual.”

                “Certainly he’s stopped using the Edos.  That in itself means that the attacks are no longer serious.  Just distractions.”

                Gaara arched an eyebrow.  “You think he’s up to something?”

                “Of COURSE he’s up to something.  He’s Uchiha Madara,” snorted the Tsuchikage.  “He’s been up to something since he left that village of yours.  The only question is what he’s up to NOW.”

                “Something behind our lines, maybe.  That teleportation of his could get him right past all our men, let him assassinate the Daimyos or something.  Its worth considering,” pointed out the tall, red-haired woman reclining on the couch.  The Mizukage was not big on formal chairs.

                “But why wait until now?  That’s something he could do by himself, why didn’t he try it before, when we nearly got overrun?  No, it’s something on his side of the line.”

                “Troubles at home, maybe,” suggested Gaara.  “You say this Kabuto he’s working with is an unstable man, perhaps he is causing trouble.”

                “It would explain the sudden lack of Edo Tensei’s…”

                “It’s not Kabuto.”  All other heads turned as Kakashi finally spoke up.  “Kabuto has left Madara’s side.  Our intelligence division believes he’s hiding out in Orochimaru’s old haunts.”

                Bushy white eyebrows narrowed over dark eyes.  “Why did you say nothing of this before?”

                “The reports are very recent, and largely uncertain,” shrugged Kakashi.  “I intended to bring it up as soon as we had more concrete proof.  I’m still not sure we do, but… Kabuto has sent us a message.”

                “A message?”

                “Obviously, it could be a ploy.  But it fits with our intelligence and what we know of Kabuto.   Apparently, Kabuto initially joined Madara to obtain Sasuke, his master’s murderer.”

                “But Sasuke is missing.  You killed him.”

                “Eh….”  Kakashi seemed to disagree.  “I teleported him to another dimension.  The point is that Madara does not have Sasuke, and therefore there is no reason for Kabuto to serve him.  Apparently Madara managed to bluff his way up to this point, and when it got to be too much Kabuto left.”

                The Raikage was nodding and tugging on his beard.  “Then… perhaps Madara is also confounded by Sasuke’s disappearance.”

                “Naruto’s too,” agreed Gaara.  “The removal of the last Uchiha and the Nine-Tails must have upset Madara’s plans significantly.”

                “The only option would be for him to find them.  But how?”  The Raikage shot a hard look at Kakashi.  “Would Madara be able to teleport himself to that dimension?”

                “I don’t know.  I don’t know enough about Madara to say.  I don’t think _I_ could, with my abilities.  Tsuchikage?”

                The squat man snorted.  “You’re asking me?  How am I supposed to know whether Madara can cross dimensions or not?  I’ve only ever been in this one.”

                “It would be a prime moment for him to strike.”  Gaara chewed his lip.  “Naruto would be in a foreign land, without friends.  Without protection.”

                Kakashi’s visible eyebrow inched upwards.  “Naruto hardly needs protecting, Gaara.  And even if he did, you of all people should know.  Naruto is NEVER without friends for long.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “So we friends now, right?  I got your back, you got mine, all that sort of thing, yeah?”

                “Hmph.”

                “Thas cool, man.  Thas real cool.”

                Sasuke hated this.  Every second of it.  When he caught up to that stupid green-coated prick, he was going to kill him any eight painful ways.  After he restored his chakra, of course.  Once Sasuke had his chakra, he wouldn’t have to keep remembering in the middle of battle that he couldn’t use jutsus.  Once his Sharingan was working again, he’d have his reaction time back up to normal.  And, conceivably, with chakra back in him, he wouldn’t be as sluggish and weak as he seemed to be these days.

                Once he got his chakra back, Sasuke wouldn’t have to deal with weak-headed numbskulls like the one.  Sasuke didn’t even know what the guy’s name was.  He was merely handy, if necessary, help.

                “So.  That the place right across there?”

                Sasuke spared a glance across the street.  “Hmph.”  He nodded.

                “If you say so, man.  I don’ usually rob arms dealers, though.”  The other chewed his lip nervously.  “Dangerous merchandise.”

                “Are you going to help or not?”

                “Oh!  Yeah!  Sure, I’ll help!”

                That was another irritating matter.  For this man to help him, he had to truly want to, which meant that Sasuke’s usual tactic of bullying or threatening him into aid would not work.  No, Sasuke had to ask.  Nicely.  He hadn’t had to do that since forming Team Hebi, and even then it’d been different.

                Sasuke hated every second of this.  He had been in agony for nearly half a week now.  But there was nothing he could do about it.  All he had in the world were his clothes and a weathered pipe he’d taken from an unwary thug.

                Of course, after today he’d have a gun.  And ammunition.  Then things could really begin.

                The annoying underling was talking again.  “Dude, man, I haven’t been this stoked since I knifed Ricky.”

                “Oh?”  Sasuke scanned the street.  No one of any importance seemed to be nearby.

                “Yeah.  That was an intense time, man, cause he weren’t easy to take down.  Had all sorts of boys all around him.  No way I was gonna let him get away with knocking my mama like that, though.  I mean, okay, not exactly as if my mama and I were close or anything, but still… blood, y’know?”

                “Indeed.”  Sasuke’s eyes ran up and down the building, counting exits, entry points, possible hang-ups, lookout points.

                “Crazy,” mused the other.  “Wouldn’t even been so bad if he’d just killed her, but that stuff he did before… man, that was just messed.  And then burning the house down.  That was overkill.  That guy HAD to die.”

                “Definitely.”  Sasuke hefted his pipe thoughtfully.  One good swing should smash through a window, he was sure.  But those bars would be problematic.

                “Course, then it turned out the one guy was blackmailing him.”  The other frowned.  “THAT bastard really ticked me off.  Tricked me into killing my own brother.  Low, man, low.”

                Sasuke inched his head over and arched an eyebrow at the teen.  “Your brother?”

                “Yeah.  Ricky.  Y’know?  Guy I killed?  My brother.  Real jerkass.”  With a click, a switchblade appeared in the teen’s hand.  “So.  We doing this or what?”

 

* * *

 

 

                “So is this… like to prevent them from rioting?  Or something?”

                Superman winced.  He supposed the concept of a press release would be novel to a soldier from feudal Japan, but he hadn’t expected it to be quite like this.  “It’s so they know what’s going on.” He answered.  “It’s important that they know they can always depend on us to deal with whatever’s going on.  And at the moment, that’s you.”

                “Heh.”  Naruto grinned.  “So I’m big news, is that it?”

                “Something like that,” allowed Superman.  “Pretty much everybody saw you as a fox, so we need to explain it to them.”

                “Why?”  Frowning, Naruto glanced up at the superhero.  “Where I came from, they just declared it a national secret and pretended it never happened.”

                Superman studied the boy for a second, recalling in his mind the massive flaming fox, the enormous ball of charged energy, the incredible destruction it had made…

                “And that worked?”

                “Eh, not really.”  A simple shrug of the shoulders conveyed several years worth of frustration and alienation.  “So if this is all to please these people and stuff, what’s Fat Lady doing out there?”

                Superman’s mouth twitched.  Where the boy got his genius for rude names, he’d never know.  “Ms. Waller is the government liason—a go-between of sorts.”

                Naruto’s brow wrinkled in concentration.  “Like… an ambassador?  For the daimyo?”

                “Something like that. ”  Though not entirely sure what the term meant, Superman felt pretty certain they didn’t have one.

                “But then what’s she talking to THEM for?”  Naruto’s face was a study in confusion.  “I mean, if she represents the government… why…”  Naruto floundered a little.

                With a little chuckle, Superman shook his head.  Hadn’t Robin explained this to them?  “The government IS the people, Naruto.  Everything is accountable to them, they vote on what happens and who gets to decide what.  They make all the decisions.  At least theoretically,”  added he in an undertone.

                “So that’s why we’re doing this?”  Naruto’s face had taken on a somewhat troubled expression.

                “In a way.”  Superman was a trifle uncomfortable with the altruistic approach, but he supposed it was essentially correct.  He glanced at Naruto.  “I take it you don’t have that in Konoha, then?”  At Naruto’s silent negative, he pressed further.  “How does it sound?”

                Naruto didn’t answer right away, and when he did his voice was strangely quiet.  “I’m not sure.”  He said.  “But I can’t help thinking that, if the villagers in Konoha had had their way, I wouldn’t have lived past three.”

                Unfortunately, Superman had no time to comment on that, because Amanda Waller was signaling.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “What?  Whaddaya mean ya ain’t got no .357 slugs!?  Ain’t this here a quality establishment?”

                Faking interest in the poster on the wall, Sasuke patiently waited for the two at the counter to leave.  It wasn’t impossible to rob a store while there were customers inside, but it was definitely easier.  And annoying as the runt-sized man screaming at the counter was, his quiet friend was roughly the size of a car.  Sasuke felt reasonably certain he could take them both down, but not before the shopkeeper could pull something from his considerable stash of weaponry.

“I tell ya, it’s a cryin’ shame when a man lives in a day and age when he can’t find any decent slugs at no corner gun store!”

                His time in Gotham had taught Sasuke that nearly every shopkeeper in the ghettos carried some form of firearm.  In Gotham, that hadn’t been a problem, because in Gotham Sasuke had had chakra.  AND a pair of Uzis.  Uzis produced respect, and goods, very quickly.

The big quiet man spoke.  “Ya ain’t holdin’ out on us, is you Norton?  Anythin’ in the back room or nothin’?”

“I swear!  This here is all it is!  We ain’t got much call for .357 ammo!”

                Now things were different.  Sure, Sasuke COULD kill a man with a lead pipe, but not as quickly as the man could kill him with a bullet.  Not now, anyway.  Before… it might be different.  He could also kill with tips of sharp glass like the ones he was fingering in his pocket, but that rarely did any good, because a dead man behind burglar bars or safety glass was less useful than a living one anywhere else.

                Sasuke’d figured something out.  But it needed the one ingredient he hated most: a partner.  The teen standing just behind the noisy pair was about as useless as they came, but he was still necessary.

                A movement at the counter caught his attention.  The pair were leaving.                “Ahright, fine!  We’s leavin’!  And don’t go looking for no more of our patronage of this here low-grade establishment!  Outta the way, ya moron!”  And the runtish man pushed past Sasuke’s partner, marching out the door.  The other shrugged his massive shoulders and rumbled out, grunting.  “Franky, ain’t got no call to be mouthing off like that to kids.”

                Finally.  Now to get to business.  Sasuke discreetly shifted his position and picked out a suitable piece of glass as his partner came up to the bars.  Like most stores, these surrounded the behind-the-counter area except for a slot for passing merchandise.  They were half the reason Sasuke’s lead pipe was not a viable option for robbing the place.

                The proprieter, a wiry little man, came close to the counter as the teen approached.  “Somethin’ I can help you with?”

                Sasuke’s arm flashed out.  The angle was bad, and the bars were in the way, but three of the glass shards still managed to find their way into the man’s throat.  With barely a gurgle, he toppled backwards.

                “Grab him, you fool!”  Sasuke raged, rushing forward. 

Recollecting himself, the teen at the counter shoved a hand through the slot and grabbed the shopkeeper’s shirt.  His limp form was tugged upright as the teen began searching through his pockets.

“Got it yet?”

“Hang on… here it is.”  The other tugged free a ring of jangling keys, letting the body fall to the floor.  “Should open nearly everything in here.”

“Good.”  Sasuke grabbed hold of the keys and fitted them in the lock, popping open the door.  Quickly he reached around the shelves.  “Handguns first, and ammo.  The larger guns are impractical for…”

A disturbance from the back room made them both look up, and an elderly man toting a shotgun appeared in the doorway. 

Most people, in this situation, would have frozen and simply stared at each other for a second or two.  Sasuke had never gotten used to this luxury.  Instead, he reacted on pure instinct, rolling back away from the counter as the first shotgun blast tore into his partner.  He dived for the door, hearing already the threatening _cock_ of the weapon.  The door swung open, jangling furiously, he was out in the sunshine…

Buckshot tore into his leg.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Hey, he’s not doing half-bad, really.”  Lois observed, glancing out the entrance to the stage, where a nervous Naruto was answering questions.  “For a knucklehead, he’s handling those wolves out there pretty well.”

                “N-naruto-kun has always been a good speaker,”  nodded Hinata, sitting just across from her in the little anteroom.

                Lois glanced at her.  “You okay, kiddo?”  she asked, just a touch of concern in the words.  “You’ve been pretty quiet.”

                “Just th-thinking.  Uh-um… A-a-aren’t y-you supposed to be in-interviewing me?”

                “Please.”  Lois rolled her eyes.  “I’ve been ‘interviewing’ you since I got back here.  You’ve already told me what happened at Gotham and how you feel about it, as well as tons of personal facts that the public has no business knowing.”  She grinned at the girl.  “I have all I need for the interview, trust me.  The only thing I really need to do is decide what to cut out.”

                “O-oh.”  Hinata looked down and toyed with her fingers, not really understanding, or even trying to.  In truth, she felt she had far more important things to think about.

                “Do you ever… feel small?”  she blurted out.  “Y-you know, like… r-really small.  Un-unimportant?”

                Lois cocked an eye at the strange question but answered with a smile.  “Girl, I interview everything from aliens to demigods.  I report on dimensional disturbances and worldwide disasters, and my boyfriend is the most powerful creature on the planet.”  She let out a little laugh and looked down.  “Of course I feel small.  Heck, you’d have to be crazy to do what I do and not feel that way.”

                “D-does it ever bother you?”  Hinata pressed on eagerly.  “L-like… do you ever feel nervous o-or… um… d-daunted?”

                “Well… sorta.”  Shifting uncomfortably, Lois looked back up and folded her arms across her chest.  “I mean, that’s part of the thing.  Why?”

                “D-do y-you e-ever have the feeling l-like, l-like you’re j-just not g-good en-enough and y-you think you ought to b-be…”

                “Look, what the hell are you trying to say?”  Lois snapped, a touch of anger in her voice.  “What business is it of yours, anyway?”

                Hinata shrank back as if slapped.  “N-n-n-n-nothing!  S-s-s-sorry.  Just… just… asking…” 

                There was a short moment of silence.  Hinata, still curled in her little ball, tried desperately not to look at Lois.  Lois, for her part, was making angry little notes in her notebook and every so often would throw Hinata a puzzled look.  Naruto’s nervous baritone was the only sound.

                There was a burst of laughter from the audience as Naruto said something unintentionally witty.  Immediately Hinata glanced over at the door and a small smile lit up her face.  Lois, happening to glance up at the same time, saw the look and her face softened.

                “Ohh.”   She said, putting down her notepad.  “ _That’s_ what you were talking about.”

                Hair flashing back in a wild flurry of embarrassment, Hinata’s startled white eyes gazed back at Lois in shock.  “Nono.”  She insisted, her crimson face belying her words.  “No, Lois-san, it’s not like that…  it’s just…”

                “Geez, do ANY of you ninjas know how to lie convincingly?”  Lois rolled her eyes.  “C’mon,” she continued, wiggling her finger expectantly.  “C’mon, sister, might as well admit it.  You can’t fool a reporter.”

                Hinata’s blush did not fade, but she gave up her stuttering attempts at denial, instead opting to stare at the floor.  “ _Do_ you ever feel that way, though?”  She whispered.

                Lois shrugged a little awkwardly, hiding behind a smirk.  “Sometimes.  When I get to thinking I can’t believe how lucky I am and it all can’t be true.  I mean, the guy’s got beyond rock-hard abs and is as sweet and caring as… well, as him.  EVERYBODY loves him.  So why he picks me… Heck, I can’t even spell correctly.”

                “Did you ever… wish you were stronger?  Or bigger?  You know, so that he’d notice you more?”

                “Not in… that way.  Him noticing me has never been a problem, for some reason.”  Smiling, Lois shook her head.  “He seems to single me out.  Not sure why.  But sometimes… yeah.”  Lois looked away for a moment.  “When they formed the League and Wonder Woman appeared, there were a lot of tabloids pairing her with Superman.”  Still looking away, Lois bit her lip as a dark look flashed across her face.  “That was… a rough year.”  Her face cleared as she continued.  “But it passed, and he seemed to be as weirdly crazy over me as ever.  So I dunno.  I guess sometimes I wish I was more powerful just so I felt more… equal, I guess.”  A nasty smirk grew across her face.  “But then I get an opportunity to make him squirm, and I realize how much power I actually have.”

                She flashed a humorous look at Hinata, but the chunin was staring at the floor.  “I… d-don’t have that.”  She admitted.

                The look disappeared from Lois’ face.  “Oh no?  Dang.  Sorry kid.” 

A loud clapping from the stage made them both look up.  Naruto, an uneasy smile on his face, was bowing to the crowd, and Superman was doing his best to nod discreetly at Hinata.

“You’re on, kiddo.”  Lois said as Hinata stood.  “Don’t worry.  They go easier on the women.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                His leg was crushed.  Sasuke had had enough experience with injuries to know that much.  Regardless, he had also had enough experience with battles to know that remaining in the street, writhing in pain, would be suicide, given the man with the shotgun.  Gripping the leg in both hands and doing his best to steady it, he rolled out of the street and into the alley.  A handy trashcan provided a refuge, and Sasuke watched the elderly man dash out of the door, glance around, curse, and walk back inside.

                With a sigh, Sasuke leant back against the wall.  A sharp pain throbbed through him at the action, and he turned to his leg with a grimace. 

                He had to cut the bloody trouser leg free before he could properly inspect the wound.  Blood was oozing out of a sizeable hole in his lower calf.  A hastily-made tourniquet, formed from a belt and the damaged trouser leg, slowed the bleeding enough for him to inspect it properly, and to his relief he was able to pick out most of the bits of buckshot still in the wound.  He was not foolish enough to suppose he’d gotten them all, but it was a start.

                For perhaps the first time since the hunt for Itachi, Sasuke wished Karin was here.  Or, he amended, that he still had Orochimaru’s healing powers.  He had never really bothered to learn medical jutsus, outside of Kabuto’s chakra scalpels.  It’d been a while since he’d had to administer his own first aid.

                That didn’t, though, mean he couldn’t do it.  Almost anyone could bandage a wound, even if he had to rely on a dirty and largely ripped trenchcoat for it.  A nearby plank, coupled with his lead pipe and a length of electric cord, made a passable splint for the leg.  None of this was sufficient, but it would hold, until he could find more suitable medical care.

                Now.  Time to inspect his gains.  Despite the confusion, he had managed to seize a pair of handguns and some clips of ammunition.  He grimaced as he pulled them forth, two old and clumsy-looking things.  The memories of the Uzis he’d had saddened him momentarily.

                Still.  These would do for now.  And he’d need them, with this leg…

                “You got nice bullet-spitters there, Spikey-hair.”

                Chakra or no chakra, Sasuke’s reflexes were still pretty fast.  He blocked the thug’s kick and dodged his ponderous fist before leaping to his feet, balancing his bad leg as best he could.

                “Aw, lookit, Don.  Spike-hairs’ got moves.”

                “Spair’s got hot pieces.  Lifted, man.”  The shorter of the two brutes grinned as he moved forward.  “No trace.  No cop.  Invisible, Rob, invisible.”

                Sasuke ignored them, already loading a magazine into the one handgun he hadn’t dropped.  It slid home with a click.

                “Oooh, he loaded.  Spairs is ready.”

                “Gonna get hurt, Spairs don’t be cool.”  The taller thug flicked out a switchblade.  “Medical, man.  Slice an’ dice an’ slice an…”

                A neat bullet-hole appeared between the tall thug’s eyes.  The shorter one lasted about two steps further. 

Sasuke gazed thoughtfully as the second body crashed into the pavement, blood pooling beneath him.  No matter how hard he tried, Sasuke could not understand people’s desire to talk so much, particularly in combat.  It never accomplished anything, and it lost you critical seconds. Why anyone…

He felt the bite on his arm seconds before he heard the crack.  By that time he’d already whipped around and placed three or four well-aimed shots in the man behind him, but there wasn’t much he could do about the ten or twelve men creeping out of the shadows.  For the moment, Sasuke hugged his pistol close and tried to work his way back toward the other one.

“You done beat up on the Slicer brothers,” said the biggest, moving forward with a purposeful air.  A revolver rested in the belt of his jeans.  “They was ours.  Buds, man.”

“Not cool.  Dude knocking off Slicers like rats.”  A dark-skinned one hefted a crowbar meaningfully.  “He pay.”

Sasuke bent, slowly, and picked up the other handgun.

“He got lifted pieces.”  A shrimpy little boy in the middle commented, grinning.  “From old man Hurley.  Not prime estate, but invisible.”

A second magazine clicked into the new gun.

“Those is ours.  Gonna show ‘em to boss when we bring head.  ICE you.”  A new voice sounded as other figures stepped from the shadows

Sasuke took the tiniest breath, and then opened fire.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Hey, she’s sorta cute.”  Bruce Wayne cocked an eye at the plasma screen.  “Little too young, maybe, but not bad, eh?”

                Without batting an eye, Lucius Fox muted the television and eyed his employer.  “Sir, am I to understand that you’re risking Gotham Insurance over the representative’s appearance?”

                “What?  No!  Jeez, Fox, lighten up a little.  Girl’s way too young for me.  No, I like what the guy before her said.  All about, ‘wish to atone’ and all that stuff.  He seems like a solid man.”

                “Solid or not, Mr. Wayne, the point remains that real estate risks in Gotham have risen significantly,” commented an elderly gentleman further down the table.  “Gotham Insurance is a new venture, which we began on your initiative, I believe.  Now you’re asking us to risk it over the words of a teenager.”  He brushed the lapels of his suit.  “Not the sort of thing one does with a new company.”

                A nod came from a younger, slightly chubby man seated just across from Fox.  “Mr. Wayne, if I may…” he clicked a few buttons on the laptop before him and a new image lit up the plasma.  “Already, 87% of the local insurance firms have raised their rates by at least 15%.  Seven leading national firms have added Gotham to their list of volatile locations, and we estimate that the remainder will follow suit.”  He clicked another button and a new set of images popped up.  “Now, given the rates in Metropolis…”

                “Reese, not so many numbers, okay?  They make my head hurt,” groaned Bruce, putting a hand over his eyes.  “Look, what’s the big deal?  We’ve got billions sitting in our account, so what if we lose a few hundred here or there?”

                The men in the room exchanged glances.  “Sir, if we assume the destruction rates of Metropolis, we could be looking at million dollar losses.  Possibly more.  Gotham Insurance cannot absorb that, and we cannot risk Wayne Industries’ assets to help it.”

                “Particularly as Gotham Insurance has different shareholders.”

                “Even if we lose only a thousand, at this stage it could be critical.  A new company is vulnerable, untested.”  Fox frowned.  “We don’t have the customers to distribute costs.”

                “Exactly!”  Wayne sat up suddenly, his finger at the ready.  “Customers!  We’re new, right?  And we don’t have many customers who buy from us.  BUT if we keep things cheap while everybody else makes them expensive, we out to get TONS of customers!”  He beamed genially at the room.

                “The same ‘tons’ of customers that will make our losses all the more significant!” snapped the elderly shareholder.

                “Bah.”  Bruce waved airily.  “C’mon, there hasn’t even been an actual disaster yet.  Okay, sure, the city almost got blown apart, but the point is, it didn’t.”

                “No, the point is it _could_ have.”   Reese corrected him.  “Insurance is about risk appraisal.”

                “So?  In this case, where’s the risk?  Superman’s training the kid, he’s going to be in Metropolis or in some Justice League training ground.  He’s not going to be here.”  Bruce tapped the table to emphasize his point.  “The only thing we’re likely to get are more tourists and a few supernatural wannabes.”

                Fox listened carefully.  Wayne, while not the brightest businessman in the world, had occasional flashes of intuition that tended to pay off.  It had been his idea to begin the research into Space and Aeronautics, research that had paid off enormously with the Justice League’s rise.  This manipulation of insurance rates, while crazy on the surface, had just a grain of possibility in it.  It might work.  Gotham Insurance could gain myriads of customers while the other firms suffered, and when rates went back down, it would be firmly on top.  The risks were great, but so were the potential rewards.   Even as he thought, he could see similar ideas running across the faces of other board members.

                Bruce chose that moment to rise.  “Well, listen, I’ll leave you guys to it, though really I don’t see the problem here.  Tell you what, though, I’m sure there are plenty of places in Gotham that could use my money.”  The unspoken threat came as smoothly and as harmlessly from him as a drop of poison.  “Now, I got an appointment.”

                “You do?”  Reese, as the new guy, hadn’t yet learned not to ask Wayne about these things.  “I wasn’t aware of any other meetings today, who are you meeting with?”

                A leer spread across Wayne’s face.  “Well see, she’s got dark hair and legs like…”

                “Thank you, Mr. Wayne, for your time.”  Fox cut off the inevitable description.  “The board will take your remarks under advisement and inform you of our decision.”  He managed a smile.  “I hope your appointment is profitable.”

                Wayne gave him an answering grin.  “Oh, I’m sure it will be.”

 

 

* * *

 

                “Gonna CUT you, man.  Gonna make you dead, slice you, make you—AAUUGH!”

                “Why do they ALWAYS talk?”  Sasuke muttered, popping off another shot at the next thug.  He had to be careful, the guns were feeling dangerously light.  Whipping away from an investigating switchblade, he swung with his left, connecting the pistol with the gang member’s skull.  Eyes lolled back and the man toppled over. 

Sasuke felt something bite into his good thigh.  Another shooter.  Ignoring the pain, he threw himself behind a handy dumpster, firing back at the offending gang member.  _How many of these guys can they have?  They’ve got to be nearly gone._ His splinted leg lurched with the jump, and he hissed.

The leg wasn’t the only problem.  Sasuke was gaining a newfound respect for Kakashi.  How on EARTH was one supposed to fight with no depth perception?  One missing eye had already cost him nearly thirty wounds.

Two more gang members bit the dust as one final round escaped the guns.  Rather than discard them, Sasuke whipped the handguns about and gripped them by their muzzles, using the handles as clubs.  Leaping forward, Sasuke wielded his new weapons with fury and as much accuracy as his single eye would let him.

They did seem to be thinning out some.  Sasuke wasn’t entirely certain WHY nearly every gang member in the area had decided to converge on him—possibly they just liked a good fight—but finally their numbers seemed to be lessening.

The steel handle of the handgun cracked over his opponent’s jaw, and the man groaned as he slumped to the ground.  Sasuke spared just a moment to drop the handgun and seize the man’s baseball bat, and then he was dealing with the next one.  If he kept this up, he might be able to fight his way to another one of their fighters, grab a pistol…

The corner of his eye sent him a momentary warning before the locomotive met his gut.

Sasuke went flying backwards, crashing into several rubbish bins and an old washing machine.  His bad leg bounced against the ground, sending pain shooting up his spine, and the splint creaked alarmingly.  As the ringing in his ears subsided and the darkness faded away from his vision, he glared at the tall, strangely grey teen who came stalking into the atrium.

“Hot damn, but you are fast,” grinned the teen, flashing his teeth.  Coal black hair spiked over a pair of gleaming dark eyes sunken in a grey face.  A simple wifebeater t-shirt covered rippling muscles and a series of strange jagged tattoos that ran up and down his arms.  Fingerless gloves and biker boots completed the overall menacing appearance.  “This might actually be worth something.”

“Johnny!”  One of the smaller thugs ran up.  “Johnny, boss, we brought him here, just like you asked.  This is the guy, y’know, the one that killed the Slicers, that everyone’s been…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.”  Johnny Rancid backhanded the gang member.  “The one who’s supposed to be all tough and shit.  Took you all long enough to get him here.  Right.”  He returned his attention to Sasuke.  “Here’s the Deal.  You and me’s gonna fight.  Right here.  And buddy, you better put up a good one, cause I ain’t had a real challenge since that Robin shithead.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Well, look at you guys!”   The outburst from the door made Neji glance up.  “Still recovering?”

                “So it would appear.”  Neji nodded to Beast Boy and the others as they entered the room.  After some discussion, the League had agreed to house all the invalid ninja in the same room, despite the protests of the medical staff.  Robin had disappeared from the hospital shortly after being stabilized, but no one knew whether he had run away or Batman had taken him.  The Titans, despite their rapid recovery, came often (by the League’s request) to visit their convalescing friends.

                “Many greetings and great wishes of healing upon you, friend Neji!” cried Starfire, enthusiastically presenting a massive basket of chocolates and fruit.  “May the Offlag sing through your body!”

                Neji gave a short little bow, as well as he was able.  “Many thanks.”  He said.  “Please set it next to the bed.”  As Starfire did so, he caught a look from Tenten in the bed just over.  It said, rather clearly, _What’s with this girl?_   Neji gave what he thought a calming smile and hoped she just played along for now.

                “Looks like you guys are just about healed up in here.”  Beast Boy grinned about the room, then frowned in concentration.  “Hey, where’s Lee?  He discharged already?”

                A short bark of laughter came from Kiba’s bed.  “You’re kidding, right?  He’s off training again.  Left half-an-hour ago.  One of the metas should be bringing him back in ten minutes.”

                “Oh.”  Beast Boy wrinkled his nose.  “You guys watching Naruto’s press conference, then, huh?”  he asked, swiveling his head to look at the TV mounted in the corner.

                “It’s more or less finished now.”  Kiba shrugged.  “Now all they got on is a bunch of boring guys in suits commenting on what he said.  I was gonna watch that WWE stuff, but Neji’s being an asshole.”

                Neji ignored the comment.

                “You know WWE is faked, right?”

                “What?  Of course I know it’s faked, jeez!  I just like laughing at people pretending to fight.”

                “Where’s Sakura?”  Raven asked suddenly.  “Isn’t she your guy’s healer?”

                Kiba rolled his eyes.  “Who knows?  She’s been avoiding everybody lately.”

                “Her abilities aren’t well suited to our injuries,” interjected Neji, feeling a need to defend the kunoichi.  “Chakra does not work well on burns, and it cannot instantly reduce concussions.”

                “Or regrow limbs.”

                Neji threw Tenten another worried look.  When she’d finally woken up, she’d spent a few hours simply pumped that she had actually escaped.  The next few days were lost in confusion and wonder at the whole new world that J’onn and the other ninjas opened for her.  The next few days after that were consumed in frustration that she couldn’t get out and explore that world.  And now… now reality had set in.  Tenten had had nearly a week to sit in a bed and work out the long-term implications of missing an arm.

                Technically, it’s not so bad.  Tenten’s a weapon specialist, so most of her work doesn’t use two-handed seals anyway.  And a lot of weapons can be used or thrown with one hand.  If it really did get to be a problem, she could even try for a puppet arm… Sakura mentioned they had things like that in Suna.

                Realistically, it’s another story.  Prosthetics are expensive and tricky to operate, especially for someone with no puppeting experience.  And even if Tenten doesn’t use jutsus widely, they’re still an important part of her arsenal.  Missing an arm puts her in essentially the same position as Lee… she doesn’t have the ability to use jutsus.  And, as Lee will tell anybody, it’s very difficult to be a ninja without  that ability.

                And if there’s one thing Tenten’s always wanted, it’s to be a ninja.

                A distraction is needed.  “Good to see you on your feet again, Cyborg.”

                “Good to see my feet again.”  The metal man smiled back.  “Seems like it took Fixit forever just to get everything back in working order.  Still.”  He flexed some artificial muscles.  “It’s back, and that’s the main thing.”

                The distraction seems to be working.  Tenten is paying some attention, if only the listless, uninterested kind of the chronically bored.

                “And everything is working properly?  As well as it used to?”  Neji asked, hoping to keep the conversation going.

                “Oh yeah… better in some cases.  He upgraded my sonic cannon, put some baaaaad new toys on it.  Here, check it out.”  With a little chuckle of satisfaction,  Cyborg extended his arm and transformed it into sonic cannon mode.

                A sudden scream echoed across the ward.  As one, the Titans and ninjas swiveled around to stare at a wide-eyed Tenten, who was pointing at Cyborg’s cannon-arm with a horrified fascination.  “ _Wh-wha-what what is THAT thing_?”  She screamed delightedly, gesturing wildly.

                Cyborg glanced at Neji, who merely shrugged.  “It’s… ah…my sonic cannon.”  Approaching the bed, he proffered it toward Tenten, who examined it with ravenous eyes.  “It’s… changes into a prosthetic arm.  That’s what I usually use it for.  For combat, though, I need the cannon.”  Gaining enthusiasm as he spoke, he added:  “There’s a lot more than the cannon on there now, though.  Fixit added a cutting beam and a few missiles and a generic stun setting for when we’re taking out…”

                The smile creeping across Tenten’s face would have sent Sasori scuttling into his hole.  “Can I have one?”

* * *

               

                It wasn’t the proudest fight Sasuke’d ever had.  He might not have felt so bad about it, if it hadn’t been so simple.  Taijutsu!  Simple and straight, taijutsu! (with allowances for various surroundings being used as weaponry.)  No special powers, no guns, just knocking about.

                Rancid wasn’t especially fast, but he was strong and cunning.  One hit had been enough to blow Sasuke backwards, and the other hit he’d landed in the fight had probably cracked a rib or two.

                Now they were circling each other again.  Sasuke had to limp, dragging his splinted leg behind before resting on it just long enough for him to shoot his other foot forward.  It wasn’t a very dignified way to move.  He had to hope that the reach of the baseball bat he was clutching would allow him to make up for his lack of agility.

                Johnny’s leg jerked suddenly.

                Sasuke threw himself off his bad leg, just barely dodging a thunderous left hook.  He swung with the bat, cracking it against Rancid’s head.  The ponderous biker teen reeled and stumbled forwards, and Sasuke pressed his advantage by shoving the splintered remains of the bat into his midsection.  All around them, the assembled gang members roared with approval or disdain.

                Amazingly, Johnny recovered and whipped back around with another ponderous blow.  Sasuke’s arm flew up to block it, and the force of the punch communicated itself directly to the arm.  He could practically hear the bones creak.  Another punch followed, and another, and another, and Sasuke had to stumble backwards to stay out of their reach.  He could feel the opposing wall coming up on his back, and he dropped to tumble away from it, trying and failing to move his injured calf as little as possible.

                “Stay still, you punk!”  Rancid seemed to be getting tired of punching air, and he rushed forward.  Sasuke found himself hobbling away again, at an incredibly increasing disadvantage.  _This isn’t working_. He realized.  _This guy can run faster than I can hobble.  I can’t block him, but I can’t dodge him, either.  What then?_

                “RAAAH!”  Rancid’s punch shot at him.  Sasuke ducked and it crashed into the wall just behind, cracking halfway through a brick and the mortar about it.  Shooting back up, Sasuke touched the arm on a nerve and twisted.

                To his consternation, Rancid simply grinned.  “Do all you guys like that trick?”  He laughed.  His other fist flashed out before Sasuke could stop it, and he went flying across the courtyard.  “That moron Robin tried the same trick on me.  Don’t know why.  It just tickles.”

                Sasuke, face against pavement, allowed himself a moment to recuperate.  This opponent liked to gloat, staying on the ground would buy him time, time he desperately needed, with every muscle in his body groaning.  He quickly took stock of his surroundings and devised a plan.

                Pushing with his arms against the ground, Sasuke stood.  His left hand sought, and found, a discarded crowbar where a gang member had dropped it.  His right reached behind and seized the drainpipe leading down from the roof.

                “Getting up, are you?”  Rancid stalked forward, grinning maliciously.  “Haven’t had enough yet, have you?”

                Wrenching the drainpipe loose, Sasuke whipped his two new weapons into position as Rancid came at him, and smiled a little smile of his own.

                A fist thundered at him.  Sasuke deflected it with the crowbar.  A right jab shot forward.  Sasuke met it with the drainpipe.  A kick shot up from below, only to meet a union of the two.  Sasuke’s arms moved in a blur, deflecting or downright smashing Rancid’s attacks.  Yet the biker never wavered, never flinched.  He just kept right on attacking.

                Sasuke decided to take the offensive.  He ducked under the next jab and rushed upwards in a flurry of steel.  Rancid’s other arm met him, blocking the attack, but Sasuke’s bad leg was already rushing out in an attack.  It struck Rancid in the face, pipe-side first.

                Pain fired through Sasuke’s brain and raged there for a while.  Blackness wavered all around his vision, and despite himself he gasped and stumbled back, clutching his leg.  Even in his hazy vision, he could see the splint.  The pipe on one side was dented, the plank on the other was completely snapped in two.  The leg itself was bent in a funny way.

                “DAMN!  That STUNG!”  Sasuke looked up, disbelieving, at an incredibly irate Rancid.  “I’m gonna feel that headache for weeks, man!  NOW you’re gonna get it!”

                Slowly, Rancid began to stalk forward.  Sasuke, prone on the ground and unable to stand, didn’t wait for it.  He hurled the drainpipe with as much accuracy as he could. 

Snatching it with one hand, Johnny snapped it in half and kept coming.  He bent down, crouching to Sasuke’s level.   Sasuke’s crowbar came whistling toward him, but he caught it in one hand and snapped it at the top.

 “Y’know,” he mused for a moment, “I wanted a good fight.”  A sneer crept over his features.  “But you… you’re just annoying.”

Sasuke’s arm flashed forward.  Rancid caught it in one hand and grinned.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The crackle of the speaker made Shikamaru open his eyes.  “Hm, you’re back.”  Yawning to cover his smile, he blinked gleefully at the bald head staring through the glass.  “Was afraid you didn’t want to play chess anymore.”

                “Hardly, Mr. Nara.  But I’m afraid my concerns are a bit more pressing than chess, at the moment.”

                “Oh?”  Shikamaru yawned again.  “I notice we’ve changed locations again.  That have anything to do with all the explosions last week?”

                Whatever else he was, Luthor was a controlled man.  Shikamaru caught only the faintest tightness about the jaw, and he couldn’t tell whether it was meant to be a grimace or a grin.  “You are as observant as ever.  However, they are not the concerns to which I was referring.”

                “What were they then?”

                “You are hardly in a position to ask such questions, Mr. Nara.”

                _Hah._   Shikamaru thought, carefully keeping his elation from his face.  _Another one got away.  Which one, though?  And how many are left?  I suppose I can hardly expect him to tell me that._

                Aloud he said, “So?  Another game?”

                “Not today.  I have some more questions for you.  And you WILL answer.”

                _Aha, an opening._   Shikamaru tried to add a touch of fear into his voice.  “Oh.  Sure, sure.  Anything you want.  You don’t have to do the… uh… thing with the chair anymore.  You can trust me.”

                “I don’t.”  Luthor smiled a cold smile. 

 _Perfect._   “Oh?”  Shikamaru cocked his head as if confused.    “Then why are you asking me and not the other guys?  Don’t you have anymore?”  He let cockiness return to his voice.  “That’s gotta be annoying, being down to your last prisoner.  Especially if you’re actually NOT all-seeing enough to know… AAAAUGH!”

“I see enough, Mr. Nara,” replied Luthor coldly, watching the screaming teen writhe in the grip of electroshock manacles.  “For one thing, I see enough to know whether you are telling the truth, and I see MORE than enough devices to make you tell it.”

The crackling fire in his veins ceased, the white pain faded from his eyes, and Shikamaru lay gasping on the bed.  “I… told… you… you didn’t… have to do that…”

“Then you should have maintained proper respect for your betters.  Your god,” replied Luthor, inspecting his fingernails.  “Never forget, Mr. Nara, that you are the prisoner, and I the master.  Never forget that.”

“I won’t… sir…”  But inside, Shikamaru’s brain was chuckling.  _He didn’t mention the others.  He would have if he wanted to impress me.  I MUST be the last he has.  I have a monopoly._

“Now that we have that sorted out, it’s time to talk about what you know.  The Uchiha.  Where is he?”

“I’ve been locked in a room for nearly three months now.  You expect me to know?”

Luthor’s hand hovered over the electroshock button, but he seemed to think Shikamaru’s answer reasonable.  “Tell me then.”  He continued, “what kind of technique would he use to move a large distance very quickly?”

“There are tons of different methods, used by tons of different…  AUGH!  Ah!  Fine!  The most common is the Shunshin, a form of teleportation.  But that’s limited by line of sight, he couldn’t move very far with that.  Reverse summoning, maybe.  He’d need a confederate, a fellow ninja to accomplish that, you could try…”

“He has none.”

 _Aha.  So Luthor must have the rest of team Taka.  Good to know_.  “Then… well, the only other real one is the Hirashin.  But that’s beyond Sasuke’s means.  It’s been perfected by only one ninja, and he needed special kunai which Sasuke wouldn’t have access to.”

“The only other one?”  Luthor’s hand was hovering over the button again.

“Uh… well… None that I… Wait!”  Shikamaru added a little scream to his voice as Luthor’s hand dipped alarmingly.  He needed to make a show of compliance.  Luthor would never believe him otherwise.  “Sasuke’s mentor… Madarra Uchiha… he had a way of moving about via teleportation.  But no one knew how it worked!  It was more advanced than the Hirashin, more deadly.  He could seemingly appear anywhere he wanted and phase through walls and things.”

“How does it work?”  Luthor’s voice was cold.

“No one knows, it… AAAAUGH!  AAGH!  I swear!  It was a secret jutsu!  He was assassinating people with it left and right!  The only thing we knew for sure was that it probably had something to do with the Sharingan!”

“The dimension-shifting ability.”  Luthor’s eyes narrowed.  “I see.  Still, if that had been it, I would know.  So how did he escape?”

“Please tell me that you’re talking to yourself, because I really don’t know.”  It struck Shikamaru that he was probably being too jocular.  “I swear.  I’ve told you everything I know.  Maybe someone else grabbed him.”

“Another player?” mused Luthor.  “That could be… complicated.”  Shaking his head free of the thought, he glanced down and smiled coldly.  “Well.  Time for the fun to begin.”

“Fun?”  Shikamaru was rather proud of the frantic tone he added to his voice.

“But of course.”  The familiar screen flickered into life.  “Do you wish to play black or white, Mr. Nara?

  

* * *

 

                Black and white spots danced in front of Sasuke’s eyes, and against all desire, he groaned with pain.  His left leg was broken, his ribs were aching, and now his right arm bent at an odd angle, a bloody bruise spreading across its new joint.

                “The boys told me you were some hotshot fighter.”  Rancid’s blurry form shook his head.  “But you’re just another one of them fancy-pants martial artists.  No real strength at all.”  His left leg moved hazily and something collided into Sasuke’s midsection.  He bit back a scream.  “Time you learn who’s king down here.  Who’s king, Mr. Fancy-Pants?  Say it!”

                Sasuke managed to grind out: “Kiss my ass.”

                The thing collided with Sasuke’s midsection again.  “SAY IT!”

                “Never.”  Sasuke growled through the pain.

                “Bah, you’re an arrogant little bastard.”  Rancid waved a hazy hand and moved away.  “I’d press it, except you’re too weak to be any threat and too stupid to know any better.  Not even worth killing.  C’mon guys.  Let’s leave this piece of shit.”  He began to walk off.

                “Wait a minute.”  Sasuke gasped out.  “Get back here.”

                Rancid kept walking.

                “GET BACK HERE!”  Sasuke nearly screamed.  “GET BACK HERE AND TRY TO KILL ME!  JUST TRY!”

                Rancid didn’t even look.

                “I’LL SHOW YOU NOT WORTH KILLING!  I’LL SHOW YOU!”

                No change.

                “COME BACK HERE AND KILL ME, YOU BASTARD!”

                But Rancid was gone.


	21. Instruction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ninja begin seeking out tutors. Lee's training with Batman takes an... interesting turn.

 

                “I am pleased to see you again, Robin-san!”  Lee chirruped happily as he followed the red-clad crimefighter down the dark tunnelway.  “We did not know what had become of you when you disappeared  from the ward!”

                Robin grinned in the darkness.  “I had to leave.  My boss had a few matters he wanted me to attend to.”

                “Couldn’t he have waited until you were in a more fit condition?”

                “No.”  Robin’s answer was very decided.  “He’s not that kind of boss, and they weren’t those kind of matters.”

                “Ah.”

                “Speaking of fit conditions, though, how are you doing?”  Robin sent a calculating glance over his shoulder.  “Green Lantern says you’ve been breaking out of the infirmary constantly to run jogs around the track and do push-ups.”

                “Yosh!”  Lee’s bushy eyebrows shot up in exhilaration.  “I must continue to train in whatever circumstances I find myself!  My time in the hospital has greatly slowed my training, I must train twice as hard to make up for lost time!”  He stopped a moment and reconsidered.  “No.  I must train THREE times as hard…”

                “Forget I asked.”  Robin gave a little wave of his hand.  “I suppose I know already, since I hacked into the medical accounts and everything.  They released you, they must figure all those bullet wounds and burns must be pretty well healed.  And it doesn’t really matter, for what I want you to do.”

                “Ah… yes.  What… exactly did you say that was, again?”  Lee glanced around him inquisitively.

                “I didn’t say.”  Robin answered dryly.

                Lee frowned.  “While I am happy to oblige you in whatever manner I can, I nonetheless desire to know what strange task you would wish to set me on.”  He squinted around the dark tunnel again.  “Are we… in a cave?”

                “Yup.  The League teleporters aren’t supposed to reach here, but if you know the right code they’ll send you right in.”

                “Where are we?”

                “You just said that yourself.  In a cave.”  They had now exited the tunnel, and Lee was vaguely aware that they were in a very large cavern.  This was underlined by Robin’s warning, “Watch your step.”  As far as he could tell, they were walking on the edge of a very deep crevasse.  The screeches of bats echoed against the hard granite walls, and far off, the dripping of water could be heard.  The only light in the cavern came from a few crowded squares of light, mounted atop a pillar of light at the far end.  Toward these Robin went, and Lee followed, increasingly curious. 

                “It’s not really so much a task I have in mind for you.”  Robin continued, conversationally.

“Oh?”  As they neared the squares, Lee realized that they were screens, part of a massive computer that sat atop the cave.  “Then what is it?”

Robin paused a while before answering.  “More like a trial.  Or a favor, depending on your point of view.  Anyway,” he shrugged as they stopped before the computers, “it’s why I brought you here.”

“Why _did_ you bring me here, Robin-san?”

“Because I asked him to,” answered a gravely voice.  The chair before the computers swung round to reveal the gleaming eyes and dark cowl of the Batman.  “I wanted to talk to you.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Bless you, ma’am.”

“Bless… you… ma’am.”  Sasuke managed through gritted teeth.

“Heart of gold, you have, mister.”

“Heart of… gold.”

“Would you cut it out!”  The man adjoining Sasuke hissed.  “Jeez, kid, you’d think you were angry at ‘em for giving you some money—blessings on yer house, missus.”

“This is degrading.”  Sasuke muttered, staring at the tin can before him and the assortment  of change littering its bottom.

“Yeah?  Well I ain’t in any position to complain, and from the looks of things, neither is you.  Cheer up, kid, people love a cripple like you.  You’re—thanks, mister—making a killing over there.  Heck,” the man checked his hat, “I’m not doing so bad, and I’m just working off _your_ popularity.  So suck it up.”  He turned back to the busy street.  “Sir, a moment of your time…”

Grimacing, Sasuke stared into his cup.  Seven measly dollars.  Sixty-seven cents—ninety-two cents, he amended, as a quarter clanged into the cup.  He’d counted them three times over the last hour.  That was all since lunch time.  Blind Pete (The beggar next to him, who was almost certainly not blind) had told him you needed to empty the cup periodically, so people didn’t see how much you had.  Another twelve dollars and forty-three cents weighed down his pockets.

It was more than enough to get a decent meal.  Not quite enough to find a decent place to spend the night.  And nowhere near enough to buy a gun.

Or medical care, Sasuke reminded himself as a sudden pain racked through his side.  An ambulance had done some preliminary care on his arms and legs while he was unconscious, but without insurance they could not afford to treat him fully.  So he was left here, by the side of the road, with a broken arm, broken leg, and a seriously creaking ribcage, to try and beg for food.

It was humiliating.  Degrading.  Necessary.

Sasuke swallowed his pride and looked upwards.  “Ah… may I…  Give me…  Spare change, please?  I need…  Spare… change, if you have any.”

He’d never had to beg in his life before.  Not when he’d wanted attention from his father, not when his whole clan died, not when he’d gone to Orochimaru for power.  Everything he’d done, he’d done by himself, without any help from anyone.

But now he had no choice.

“Try to look more pitiful,” whispered Blind Pete out of the corner of his mouth.  “They go for the pitiful ones.”

Sasuke choked back his dignity and begged.  “Spare change?  I’m… I’m in need of medical care.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                With surprising alacrity, Lee leapt backwards, arms already up in combat position.  “You!  Robin-san, this is most unexpected and un-youthful of you!”

                “You may learn to thank me.”  Robin grinned.

                “If you’ve been working with Robin for so long, you should know that he wouldn’t knowingly endanger you.”  Robin shot Batman a look, half gratitude, half insulted pride at the word ‘knowingly.’  “You can come to terms with that and calm down, very well, or you can waste your time hopping around the cave.”

                “You shall not trick me, dark one!  What have you done to Robin-san?”

                Robin cut in at this point.  “Lee, cool it.  Batman is my boss.”

                Lee lifted a confused eyebrow.  “Your… what?”

                “Boss.  Teacher.  Sensei.  He taught me all those moves I’ve been using on you.  Trust me, he’s not going to attack.”

                “Oh?”  Lee tilted his head defensively.  “He attacked my comrades and I on the very night we arrived!  He harmed Sakura-chan!”

                “He’s part of the League, isn’t he?  They…”  Robin stopped as he considered that the ninjas still did not entirely trust the League.  “He… didn’t attack you guys in Gotham?”

                “His plane was chasing ours.  And he arrested Chouji-san and Sai-san.”

                “We’re wasting time.”  Batman snapped, standing up.  “Yes, I attacked your party upon your arrival here in Gotham.  At the time, I thought I was defending my city from invaders, as I imagine you would yours.  That being said, I was in error during the confrontation.”

                Lee’s defensive posture softened slightly.  “You… apologize, then?”

 

                “I made an error in judgment.”  Batman grumbled.  “I acted hastily and without proper information.  It was unfortunate, and I regret it.”

                Lee’s face shone with manly tears as he shot forward and engulfed Batman in a hug.  “You apologize!  The flames of youthful passion flow strong in you, Batman-san!  Surely one with such a noble heart cannot be truly bad!  I accept your apology.”

                Sighing, Batman did his best to ignore the green-clad teenager hugging him, as well as the red-clad teenager snickering on the sidelines.  “Good.”

                “Now, what did you wish to say to me, my youthful friend?”  Lee finally let go and regarded the impassive crimefighter hopefully.

                “Robin mentioned your sparring bouts.”  Batman paused to brush himself off.  “He thought perhaps I could help you with your training.”

                Lee’s face nearly exploded with radiance at the word ‘training.’  “You would TEACH me, Batman-san?  Or—forgive me…”  Lee let out a childish giggle.  “…Batman-sensei!  You wish to show me your mighty techniques and wonderful style?  I will learn everything you have to teach me before we leave, or I will run around Gotham two thousand times!  Yosh!”

                Batman quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Robin.

                Robin nodded.  “Yeah, he probably will.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “What’s the point in having a jetpack if I don’t even get to steer it?”  Naruto grumbled.

                “Try to focus.”  Superman rubbed his eyes.  “Do you see any criminal activity taking place?”

                “What, from up here?  We’ve gotta be half a mile up!  How’re we supposed to see anything?”

                Superman shrugged his massive shoulders.  “The kind of criminal activity I usually deal with tends to be rather visible.  Still, you’ve got a point.  I guess you don’t exactly have telescopic vision.”  He glanced over at Naruto, cruising through the air beside him.  “Don’t you ninjas have any kind of… I don’t know… heightened perceptional state?”

                “Well… yeah, Sage Mode DOES allow me to be aware of all my surroundings.  But it’s kinda hard to filter out everything here.  Especially since your people don’t really have any chakra signatures.”  Naruto squinted down at the street below.  “Takes me forever to work up, too.  None of your guys at base better touch my clone.”

                “He’s in a locked room, he’ll be fine.  Now focus.  I’m not sure how your ‘heightened perception’ works, but if it’s anything like my supersight and superhearing, there’s probably a way of filtering out the unimportant info.”

                Arching his eyebrows, Naruto commented.  “Jeez.  Supersight, superhearing…  You have superbreath?”

                Superman ever so slightly winced.  “That’s not important.”

                “Just saying.  It seems like you’re overdoing it for some reason.”

                “Focus.”  Superman repeated, a trifle more  firmly.  “Try to let your eyes—mind—skim over the normal happenings, and just pic out the irregularities.  Only study unusual things, people running, shouting,  breaking windows, that sort of thing.  Focus on those and look at them more closely to see if something is wrong.  Try to... you have your eyes closed.”

                “I’m trying to focus.”  Naruto insisted, eyes still closed.  “This is pretty hard, y’know.”

                Superman shrugged again.  “I don’t find it too bad.  Of course, my mind processes stuff a lot faster than most.”

                “What, Super-thought?”

                “Focus, Naruto.”  Superman sighed.  Suddenly he peered ahead and frowned.  “Look over at Washington Bank.  What do you see—sense?”  He corrected.

                Naruto remained silent a moment.  “Where’s Washington Bank?”  He asked hesitantly.

                Superman closed his eyes, then tugged a remote from his belt.  “It’s where I’m sending you now.”  He answered, tapping out a sequence.  “Assess the situation and contain it.  I’ll be watching.  Go!”

                “But…”  Naruto’s protest were cut off as the jetpack roared into life and ripped him away from the Man of Steel.  Wind whipped against his face, its sharp edges thwarted by the Sage Mode invincibility, as he shot toward whatever-place-it-was that Superman had sighted.

                Naruto had been all for the jetpack at first.  A device that let you fly at high speeds?  How was that not awesome?  Sure, it was necessary for keeping up with Superman on these flight patrols, but the point was it was really, really awesome.  Neji had to be green with envy right now.

                Except actually, Neji would probably hate this version of jetpack.  Because Naruto couldn’t control it.  He wasn’t MEANT to.  That was Superman’s job.  Superman used the remote to send Naruto anywhere that wasn’t directly behind him.  Naruto supposed it helped them get things off to an early start without having to train through the use of the jetpack, but he also felt pretty sure the League had done it to keep him on a short leash.

                Well screw that!  As soon as this puppy landed, he was out of the harness and doing things HIS way!  He’d done super-heroing before, in Jump City with Robin, he didn’t need any more of…

                That was about as far as he got before the ground plowed into his feet. 

Mr. Terrific, who had designed the jetpack, had warned him about landings and how he was supposed to brace his legs for landing and run with the velocity.  To be fair, Naruto had paid better-than-average attention, but to be honest, that wasn’t saying an awful lot.  Mostly he’d been too psyched about the idea of a jetpack to really care much about how to use it safely.  After all, in Sage Mode he was invincible.  What could happen?

Apparently, he could plow through half a street of concrete and kick dust and gravel into the air.  Sure, invincible, but still doggone annoying.  Especially the gravel up his nose.

 _That could have gone better._   He mused as he hauled his way out.  _So much for an impressive entry… too bad Lee isn’t here._  

However, entrance didn’t actually matter.  Performance did.  And now that Naruto was on site, he recognized the shady performance right away.  Masked men generally did not run out of banks into cars.  Or rather, they did, but not for innocent reasons.

Naruto erupted from the ground at lightning speed.   “Stop in the name of the law!”  He crowed, exulting in the phrase, newly picked from some of Cyborg’s cop-buddy movies.  “You are all under arrest!”

The crooks, very naturally, did not listen.  They saw only a strange blonde kid with weird eyebrows and bright orange clothing.  Even if they had seen Naruto’s press conference, they would hardly have recognized him through the caked dirt and gravel.  The only thing they DID recognize that anyone who could survive a face-plant into gravel must be a meta.  Instantly they gunned the engine into life.

The poor car never really stood a chance.  Naruto whipped over the pavement at lightning speed and smashed a rasengan into the engine, blowing most of the front half of the car away.  With varied shouts of alarm, the crooks abandoned the wreckage, streaking off in different directions.

With a dramatic roll of the eyes, Naruto wove his fingers in a seal.  “Kage Bunshin no jutsu!”  Six Narutos popped into existence.  “Get ‘em!”  He ordered, waving his clones on.  Sage Mode told him exactly where the men had fled.

Sage Mode also told him when half his clones poofed out from bullet wounds.

Naruto groaned and dashed off down a dark alley.  He leapt to the wall, ran along with it till he came even with the man, jumped down, and kicked his feet out from under him.  Before the man could get up, Naruto was on him, picking him up and dragging him to the nearest light pole.  The metal tubing bent easily in his hands, and he wound it expertly around the man.

Again Naruto whipped away, at double the speed.  He formed two more clones and sent them to delay one man while he got the other.  That wouldn’t be enough, though.  He needed to do this fast.  Shooting straight around the building, he caught the bank robber with strong chop to the jaw, then gave a light tap on the head to knock him out.

The third man was ready when Naruto came, and he managed to sink two shots before he got up to him.  They didn’t do any harm, of course, but they hurt, and Naruto perhaps was a liiiiitttle too enthusiastic in punching the man across the parking lot into three of his clones.  But hey, it was the last guy, so whatever.

Naruto beamed as Superman came floating over the square.  “So, whattaya think?”  He smirked.  “Quick, eh?”

Superman looked around, at the long trench in the pavement, the burst fire hydrant at the end of it, the decapitated car (leaking oil), the bent lamp post, the crook with the concussion, the OTHER one with several cracked ribs and some internal bleeding, and the terrified people standing around watching it all.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes.  “Naruto.”  He said.  “Let’s talk about control.”

The car exploded.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “You work with me, you follow the rules.”  Batman, unmasked and in a light robe, stood in a sparring ring, the spandex-clad Lee just across from him.  “Rule number one: You give me everything you’ve got.”  Glancing Lee over, he frowned and made an impatient gesture.  “You’re wearing weights.  Take them off.”

                Robin, watching just outside the ring, suppressed a snigger.

                Lee looked absolutely torn.  “But, Batman-sensei…”

                “Take them off!  Now!”

                With a hopeless shrug, Lee kneeled and unhooked the weights from his legs.  Batman raised an eyebrow as he saw them sink into the padding of the ring, but said nothing.  Standing to his feet once again, Lee gave a nervous thumbs up.  “Ready when you are, Batman-sense…”

                Batman, never much one for ceremony, attacked the boy in mid-sentence.

                It is hard to give an account of the battle from Batman’s point of view.  To Robin, who had been looking forward to this for a while, it vaguely resembled a green blur surrounding a shadow-boxing, mysteriously flying, Batman.

                He saw Batman charge forward and punch at empty air.  A half-second later, Batman flew backwards toward the boundaries of the ring, chest doubled in pain.  He avoided a complete fall, but somehow seemed to have difficulty getting up, as he kept falling again, and again, and again.  Finally he rocketed upwards in a certain direction, eliciting an ‘oof’ from the thin air, and rolled backwards into a fighting position, which he managed to hold for all of two-thirds of a second before his head jerked back and carried the rest of the body with it.  The mighty Batman crumpled to the floor.

                Instantly the green blur materialized to become a very worried Lee standing at his new sensei’s side.  “Batman-sensei, are you alright?  I must apologize profusely if I have harmed you, I occasionally get a little over-eager in my practice rounds…”

                Batman coughed up some blood as he struggled upwards, his face swelling with bruises.  “You…  you…” he wheezed.  “Your… kicks… lack strength.  You… don’t follow… through on them.”

                “Ah!”  Robin nodded amiably from the sidelines.  “You noticed that too, did you?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “So… what was your name again, dawg?”

                “I am called Sai.”  The strange pale-faced boy gave Virgil a disturbing grin.  “I am pleased to meet you.”

                “Uh… yeah.  Likewise, likewise.”  Static shook the boy’s hand.  “My name’s Static.”

                “May I call you Spider-Hair?”

                Fortunately the door swung open before Virgil could respond.  Green Lantern nodded to them curtly.  “Static.  Sai.”  He glanced around, a trifle nervously.  “That… friend of yours… Lee.  He’s not around here, is he?”

                Sai’s smile widened.  “I have not seen him, Lantern-sensei.  Why do you ask?”

                “No reason.”  Green Lantern stood up a trifle straighter.  “He’s been… following me around lately.  Not sure why.”  Coughing, he turned an eye onto the two teenagers.  “Right.  The two of you will be running sessions with me in the simulation chamber.  This way.”  He jerked his head at the door.

                Obediently, the two got up and followed Lantern into the room, which immediately morphed into a sand-filled arena.

                “Whoah!”  Static whirled around, taking in the whole scene.  “That room just… I mean, it wasn’t even…”  his mind finally accepted the illusion and he grinned at Lantern.  “That is some rocking level of awesome!”

                “Very powerful genjutsu.”  Sai nodded amiably.  Lantern’s glare stopped his hand from reaching the kunai pouch.

                Static was still glancing around the arena.  “Coliseum, huh?  I remember this from Mrs. Donlan’s history class.  We gonna fight lions?”

                “Actually, this is supposed to be the Morporkian proving grounds of Atuinius 5.”  Lantern smiled at the look on Static’s face.  “Went there when I was a rookie in the Lanterns.  Compulsory.  I chose it partly for sentimental reasons, partly because it’s a good open field for your first lesson.”

                “Which is?”

                “Visualization.”  Sighing at the look on Static’s face, Lantern amended, “Imagination, then.  Improvisation.  The ability to create a weapon immediately that fulfills a specific need.”

                “Tell me, what is this?”  Lantern raised his fist, exposing the ring.

                Regrettably, Sai went first.  “A sign of conjugal union between you and your beloved?”

                “It’s his Lantern ring.”  Static threw Sai an odd look, the first of many.  “The Guardians gave it to him to defend earth and stuff.  You need to have like a buttload of willpower to use one, but it’s AWESOME.  He’s got this bigger lantern thing that he charges it with and…”

                “That’s good enough, Static.”  Lantern nodded approvingly.  “Yes.  My Lantern Ring.  Now, what does it do?”

                “It changes your eye color to frighten off your enemies?” 

                Sai had not yet learned to show that he was joking.  Static gave him another weird look.  “It lets out big laser blasts, dude.”

                “Both wrong.”  _One more so than the other._ “The ring does whatever I want it to.  If I want it to make a big dinosaur…”  The green light flared into being, “…it makes a dinosaur.  If I want to make a spaceship…”  The light flared and flickered, “…there’s a spaceship.  If I want it to make General Eisenhower…”  Again it changed.  “…there he is.” 

                Sai’s eyebrows crept upwards.

                “Generally, I do use it for laser blasts.”  Nodding at Static, Lantern unleashed a salvo of fire against the opposite wall.  “But that’s simply because they come most readily to mind and are the most useful in battles.  The important thing is that a Lantern’s ring is limited only by what you can imagine.”

                “And yellow light.”

                “And yellow light.”  Lantern glanced at Static with a hint of surprise.  “That’s not exactly common knowledge.”

                Static shrugged, trying not to look smug.  “Eh… you been superheroing around the block a few times, you pick up some stuff.”

                “Mmm.  Now, the two of you have abilities rather similar to this.  Static, you can mold electricity into whatever form you need.  Bat-signals, for example.  And Sai, you can…” Lantern tried not to let his disbelief show, “…bring drawings to life.”

                Static stared at Sai.  “Dude, seriously?”

                Sai smiled.

                “Both of you have, to some extent, learned how to use your powers creatively.  However, Static, you lack imagination, and Sai, you lack improvisation.  Both speed AND original thinking are important assets with powers like yours.”

                “So,” said Green Lantern, charging up his ring and shielding himself in a great green ball, “For our first lesson, you two will fight me.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“If you could spare… thank you sir, God bless you sir.”

Sasuke stared into the cup resignedly, trying to assuage his ego with the glinting coins inside.  It was a good haul, with the money inside his coat he might be able to go to a backstreet doctor, work on getting his legs fixed.  Maybe save up for a…

Footsteps caught his ear and he glanced up quickly.  “Please sir, spare change?  I…”

“Get lost, kid.”  The man kicked at him savagely and swept past.

Something snapped in Sasuke.  He was Uchiha Sasuke, avenger!  His name was known throughout the five elemental nations, he had held Kages captive, WARS had been fought over him!  This sort of abuse could not be tolerated!  Growling, he clenched his fist and…

…and did nothing.  The man was nearly half-a-block away, and Sasuke’s legs were as useless as ever.  Perhaps a properly placed coin… but no.  What would be the point?  It would attract police and attention, and Sasuke wanted neither.  Defeated, his shoulders slumped.  The posture earned him two nickels and a dollar bill.

“Guys like him can be useful if you play it right.”  Blind Pete whispered.  “People give more if they see you getting rejected.”

Sasuke didn’t even bother to answer.  How could people live like this?  Objectively, he knew that similar people existed in Konoha and the Elemental nations, but he’d never really bothered to consider what it might be like.  Sure—he glanced down at his cup again—it paid well enough, but… to have to depend on others, to be FORCED to put up with whatever they gave, and even to grovel for them…

More footsteps.  Sasuke put the thoughts aside for the moment.

“Pardon me sir…”  said he, contriving to catch the gaze of the elderly, bristly mustached man.  “Excuse me, I… I… need medical care.  Would you… I… give me…”  Desperately he coughed up the words, gritting his teeth.  “Some spare change?”

The man stopped and studied him for a moment, rubbing his mustache with a gnarled hand.  Finally, with a nod, he squatted down to Sasuke’s level, and beckoned to him to lean forward.  “I tell you what it is.”  He said.  “Big City.  Live, work, eh?  BUT.”  He held up a gnarled finger.  “Is not city open.  Only peoples.” 

Sasuke blinked.  This had not been expected.  Part of him wondered what the heck the man was saying, the other part wondered if he’d get any money by listening.

“Only peoples.”  A sagely nod punctuated the words.  “Peoples is peoples.  No is buildings.  Is Tomatoes, eh?”

 _Tomatoes_.  Against his will, Sasuke’s stomach rumbled in remembrance.

  The man was warming to his subject, building in enthusiasm.“Is peoples!  Is dancing, is music, is potatoes!”

Sasuke stared at the man.

 “So.”  The man shrugged as he stood.  “Peoples is peoples.”  Again he held up the finger.  “Okay?”

Feeling something was expected of him, Sasuke nodded.

 The man smiled benevolently.  He stood still a moment, a confused look on his face as if trying to remember something, then, snapping his fingers, dug out a grubby wallet and dropped a twenty into Sasuke’s cup.  Before Sasuke could say anything further, the man disappeared, with a smile, into the crowd.

Sasuke picked up the twenty and glanced at it.  It seemed real enough.  Would be a good start toward getting a gun again.  Toward regaining power.  Would be…

Sasuke glanced over at Blind Pete.  “Do you know where they sell tomatoes?

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Those are some very heavy weights you must have,” said Batman some half-an-hour later, as Alfred applied ointment to the worst of his bruises

                “Yes indeed, Batman-sensei.  Whenever I begin to get used to the weight, I add to it to increase the challenge.”  Lee shuffled about awkwardly.  “Batman-sensei, I apologize for being so rough, but you did say to…”

                “Yes, yes.”  Batman waved the apology aside.  “I did tell you to give everything you had.  If that was not ALL you could do, it was at least close enough to give me an idea of your weakness.”    Leaning forward, the crimefighter eyed Lee keenly.  “How often do you fight without your weights?”

                Lee blinked his eyes rapidly in thought.  “Gai-sensei does not allow me to remove them unless there a great many precious people in need of protection.  Occasionally I train with Gai-sensei with them off, but otherwise I never remove them, even when I sleep.”

                “When you sleep?”  Robin had an odd expression on his face.

                “So essentially, you are always wearing them, and you nearly always fight with them on.”

                “Yes, Batman-sensei.”

                Batman whispered something to Alfred, who bowed and left.   Then, turning to look directly at Lee, he stated:  “You need to stop wearing them.  They’re impeding your progress.”

                “What!?”  Shocked and outraged at the criticism of his beloved training technique, Lee stood bolt upright.  “How can you say that?  They were designed by the great Gai-sensei himself!  They have enabled me to tone my muscle and increase my speed far beyond…”

                “I think he’s talking more about wearing them all the time.”  Robin eyed his mentor.  “Right.”

                Batman gave a short nod of approval.  “You need to practice at full speed, not just while weighted.  It’s obvious you’re not sure of how to handle the level of speed you gain with them off.”

                “And what do you mean by that?” asked Lee, torn between indignation and curiosity.  He saw Robin, too, glance at the crimefighter in confusion.

                “The momentum from your weights,” said Batman, as if that explained everything.  “It throws you off.”

                Lee watched as confusion turned to meditation and finally to realization in Robin’s face.  “Riiiiight.”  He nodded.  “That makes sense.”  Turning to Lee, he gestured.  “Here, let me show you.  Give me one of your weights.”

                Lee handed it over with a shrug, and Robin fastened it around his own leg, wincing as he did so.  “Man, these things ARE heavy.  You seriously wear these all the time?”  Sitting down, he let his weighted leg dangle off the edge of the chair and pointed.  “See, this is your leg at rest.  Now when you need to move it, there’s a lot of weight on that leg, so it takes a lot of force to get it moving.”  He lifted his leg with difficulty.  “But once that weight is moving, the momentum carries it along, so you don’t have to sustain that force along the arc.  This is doubly true if you’re moving it really fast, like in a kick.”

                Lee nodded, he was beginning to see the problem.

                “Instead, what you do, at the point where the leg meets the target, is you pull back.”  Robin’s leg paused in mid-air.  “You need to stop the momentum before it completely carries you over and makes you do a somersault.”

                “Or rips your leg off.”  Batman commented dryly.

                “Or that.”  Robin agreed.  “So that’s what happens while you’re wearing the weights.  Practically what you have to do, in order to fight with them on.  And there’s lots of advantages.  The added momentum gives your kicks more penetrating power, the metal probably makes for a lot stronger hit.  The problem, though, comes when you take the weights OFF.”

                “You can move faster, and you realize that different rules apply.”  Batman took over from his apprentice.  “But old habits die hard.  When you have them off, you still push your leg most at the beginning, let it drift in the middle, and start to snap it back just before the hit.”  Steepling his fingers, Batman gazed thoughtfully over the tips of them.  “Your kicks are actually less effective without the weights, you just manage to get in a lot more.”

                Lee’s eyes were large and round.  “I see, Batman-sensei.”  He nodded firmly.  “This is a new way of looking at training.  I will train three times as hard to make up for it, and if I cannot do that, I will…” he paused as a thought struck him.  “But training will not solve this.”  His eyes began to water as he realized the enormity of the dilemma.  “Training is… is the problem.”

                “The TYPE of training is.”  Robin corrected.  “All we have to do is think of a new one to counteract the problems from your old training.  Then you can train three times as hard at that.”  He grinned over at Batman.

                Ignoring his apprentice, Batman turned to Alfred as he returned.  “Did you get it?”

                “Yes, Master Bruce.  Here is the suit you requested.”  The butler laid a long suit of deep-black spandex on the table.

                “Hey!”  Robin’s eyebrows shot up.  “That’s the…”

                “Yes, Robin.  The fibro-armor prototype.  Trust me on this.”  Batman turned to Lee and gestured at the garment.  “I want you to try working without the weights for a while and try using this.  It’s a suit we initially designed as a kind of Kevlar, with the ability to harden in response to sudden motion.”

                Lee picked up the suit, eyeing it doubtfully.  “What will it do?”

                “Resist every move you try to make—forward, backward, up, or down.”  Batman held up a remote.  “This allows me to control the rigidity of the suit and the amount of resistance it puts up to your movements.  It should have the same effect as the weights, but without the momentum issues we mentioned.  This way, I can train you at a more…” he grimaced “…practical pace without worrying about how it will retard your high-speed fighting.”

                Nodding, Lee glanced over the suit again.  Clearly he wanted to begin training immediately, clearly he was elated at this new challenge, and yet, and yet…

                “Is something the matter?” asked Robin.

                Lee looked up from the black suit.  “…Could I perhaps… have a green one?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                From her prone position on the operating table, Tenten looked at her arm and frowned.  “It’s… okay, I guess.  I guess I was just thinking it’d look… different.   Y’know, like yours.”

                “You  WANT to look like a freakish metal man?” snorted Cyborg, his body glowing dimly in the darkness of the underground workshop.  “Get a nose piercing or something.  Until then, be thankful for a prosthetic that looks normal.”

                Tenten shrugged and flexed her new hand, studying it from all angles.  The light glanced off it in an odd manner, and the texture was obviously wrong, but otherwise it seemed a perfectly normal hand.  Sitting up, she tried it against the flesh of her other hand.  She felt the warmth, the pressure, the moisture.  Very sensitive.  But…

                “Can it lift heavy objects?”  She asked, swiveling her gaze to Cyborg’s partner, the cybernetic Fixit.  By Cyborg’s recommendation, they’d gone to him for Tenten’s new prosthetic.  Apparently the near-robot surpassed even Cyborg’s mechanical abilities.

                The hermit’s emotionless gaze did not flicker.  “The arm itself is capable of raising up to two tons.  I would not, however, recommend that you lift anything past two hundred pounds.”

                “I’d say more like one hundred.”  Cyborg frowned.  “And even that’s iffy.”

                Tenten glanced from one to the other.  “Huh?”

                “Basic rule of cybernetic implants.”  Cyborg explained.  “No body is stronger than its weakest member.  If we had that arm connected to a metal beam, it could lift two tons.  However, since it’s attached to your arm, it can’t lift any more than your arm can.  Trying to do more than your shoulder can bear could result in dislocated joints, broken bones…”  Cyborg shrugged.  “Stuff like that.”

“We installed a nanite web binding the arm to your stump.  It extends all the way up your arm to the shoulder.”  Fixit continued.  “It dissipates the weight of the prosthetic itself and ensures that your hand will not simply fall off.  However, if undue strain is caused…”

“It’ll rip right off.  And since we tied it into your nerve endings, that’ll be pretty painful,” finished Cyborg.

                Tenten looked back at her arm glumly.  “I see.  You can do stuff like that because your whole skeleton is prosthetic, right?”

                “That’s it.”  Cyborg nodded.  “Even a lot of the parts of me that look human are mechanical.  My head’s about the only real thing.”  Seeing Tenten’s face, he added, “Trust me, you wouldn’t like it.  At least not if you plan on getting a boyfriend or anything.”

                Tenten’s face altered rather suddenly.  “Okay.  So what _can_ I do with this thing?”

                Cyborg shrugged and glanced at Fixit.  “Most of the stuff you can do with a normal hand.  Grip, hold, flex, type, punch—your punches SHOULD be more effective with that arm—feel, stuff like that.”

                “Can it do the one thing?”

                “Huh?”  Cyborg cocked his head.  “What thing?”

                “The… transforming thing.  The one your arm did.”  Tenten gestured impatiently.

                “Oh, my sonic cannon.  No, there’s no sonic cannon in there.”

                “What?”

                “The space and complexity of that model did not leave room for a mass weapon of Cyborg’s design,” explained Fixit.  “It was simply not workable.”

                Frustration welled up in Tenten.  Pointing an accusing finger at the two men, she ranted, “Are you telling me that you gave me a normal hand that doesn’t even do ANYTHING that I couldn’t already…”

                In mid-sentence, her pointing finger split apart.  It slid back down across her wrist, followed by fragments of her rapidly-breaking hand as they folded away to reveal a glowing hole in the mouth of her arm. 

                Cyborg ducked just in time as a stream of laser bursts shot past him to crash into the opposite wall.

                There was a momentary silence as some loose machinery in the workshop crashed to the floor.

                “It is fortunate,” observed Fixit, “that all my weapons are designed to avoid me.”

                “As I was about to say, there’s no sonic cannon in there, but there IS a rapid-fire pinpoint laser assembly.”  Cyborg replied dryly, standing back up again.  “You can alter them to fire all at once so you get a large blast, but then you need to let it cool down.”

                “There’s also a spot for explosive darts,” added Fixit helpfully.

                Tenten gazed in shock at her dissembled arm.  “Whoah…”

                “So.  Now you know what it does.”  Cyborg clapped his hands together and moved to the table.  “Now let’s teach you how to maintain the thing.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “The first rule, as I said, is to give me everything you’ve got.”  Batman’s words came easily through the flurry of hands and feet that was Lee.  “The second…”

                A leg shot through the flurry and connected.  There was an audible “oof,” and Lee tumbled to the floor.

                “…then you give me more.”  Batman’s eyes had a gleam in them as he towered above Lee.

                Lee wiped his mouth and leapt back up to his feet, grinning from ear-to-ear.  “Yosh!”

                “Bats, could we maybe ADD to that list of rules?”

                Batman did not reply, merely gesturing to Lee.  “Again.”

                “Yosh!”  Lee dashed forward.  He was clad from head to foot in the tight-fitting black suit (Wayne Enterprises didn’t make a whole lot of _green_ prototypes.), and clearly it was giving him some problems.   Though Lee tried to conquer the habit, he still hesitated, he still pulled back.  There was a new awkwardness to his movements, and even with the edge in speed that Batman had allowed him, he could not land a hit.

                Batman, again, was clad in the loose-fitting, white bathrobe and trousers consistently used in sparring bouts.  And, of course, the bandages covering bruises from the earlier bout.  This time, though, he was barely breathing hard, slipping his attacks in and out of Lee’s now-clumsy defense.

                “Wh-wha-what… is the… third… rule… Batman-sen…sei?”  Lee panted, grinning manically amidst his frantic battle.

                “The third rule.”  With a fluidity of motion, Batman dodged around Lee’s punch, brought an elbow down on his neck and a knee into his chest before letting him drop to the floor.  “I make the rules.”

                “Watch out for that last one.”  Robin advised the gasping Lee.  “It’s a killer.”

                “Yo-yosh.”  Lee choked out.

                “Enough for now.”  Batman strode off the sparring ground.  “You’re unused to the suit, and while it’s hampering you like this there’s nothing I can do with you.  Train with it—wear it under your usual clothes if you must—and come back once you’re back up to speed.”  Robin grinned at the phrasing, but Batman ignored him.  “Also.  Once a day, I want you to do free run without the weights and without the suit.”

                Lee paused as he picked himself up off the ground.  “Why, Batman-sensei?  Surely wearing my wei—er, my suit at all times doubles my training time?”

                “Not for your speed, it doesn’t.”  Batman settled by the computer and began to tap away.  “The suit takes care of the momentum issues, but it’s still not the same as free running.  You need to get used to that.”  He stopped a moment and frowned at the images filling up the screen.  “You should probably have another trainer, too… someone who can match speed like yours.”

                Lee’s grin grew even wider.  “ANOTHER sensei!?  Who must I train under, Batman-sensei?”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “I did not know you were training under Hawkgirl.”

                “Who’s training?”  Sakura grunted.  “I’m just blowing off steam.”

                Hawkgirl raised an amused eyebrow.  “Glad to know how important I am to you, kid.  Now defend yourself…”

                “Sakura-san, the others are becoming uneasy about your absence,” persisted Shino, standing well away from the sparring area.  On the floor, the two woman, clad in loose-fitting gym gear, were going back and forth with some sticks.  They clacked together in loud syncopation, echoing across the room.  “Even Kiba asked where you were the other day, and Lee has been searching the halls for you nearly daily.”

                Ducking a savage swipe from Hawkgirl, Sakura tried to bring her two sticks to bear, but the Thanagarian easily avoided them.  “Lee’s too nice.  He shouldn’t be worrying about me.”

                “Nonetheless, he is.  As are we all.  I devoted this afternoon to finding you just to make certain you were not imprisoned somewhere.”

                “Thanks for the vote of confidence, kiddo.”  Hawkgirl grinned again.  “Move your feet, girl, keep your balance.  Don’t you guys have edged weapons?  Like katanas or anything?”

                Sakura ignored the question.  “What about Naruto?  What did he say?”

                Shrugging, Shino responded, “Between his press conferences and his training with Superman, Naruto-san has been very busy.  He has not said anything.”

                “Mmm.” 

                For a while the air was filled merely with the sharp clacks of the sticks and the occasional grunt of pain.  Hawkgirl was clearly holding back, but Sakura was doing surprisingly well.  Shino faintly buzzed with irritation.  “Well, Sakura-san?”

                “Shino, I can’t face Naruto right now.  I’m not sure I can face any of them.”

                “Because of the mission to capture Sasuke?  We all agreed to that.”

                “Against our advice, I might add.”  Hawkgirl sidestepped Sakura’s charge and aimed her stick at Sakura’s back.

                “We all agreed to it, but it was my initiative.  My responsibility.  I made the plan and I led the team.”  _And I made the mistake._   She added silently.  Her personal failure to attack Sasuke was her own secret shame, something the others simply would not understand.  “They trusted me to lead them and I let them down.”

                “Mistakes happe—Ow.”  Hawkgirl grunted as one of Sakura’s sticks hit home.

                “You cannot let a defeat hold you back in such a manner.  Why?  Because even a defeated commander knows more than an untested one.  You must learn from your defeats, judge how to avoid future mistak…”

                A sharp clack and a cry of pain interrupted Shino.  Sakura was doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach.  “Okay.  I give, I give.  Enough for now.”

                “You’re getting better, girl.”  Hawkgirl helped her to her feet.  “Go through those forms I showed you, they should give you a feeling for battle balance.”

                “Thanks.”  Sakura gave a little bow and walked off the sparring ground, toward Shino.  She picked up a towel and dried her face.  “Shino, it’s not just the defeat.”  She responded, her voice muffled.  “It’s… well, a lot of it’s Naruto.  I should have waited for him and Hinata.  It was stupid of me to rush off without them.”

                “We needed to rescue Question before any harm could be done.”

                “None of us really cared three straws about Question and you know it.”  Sakura snapped, pulling away the towel and wrapping it around her neck.  “We didn’t even know the guy, we were interested in Sasuke.  He was just an excuse to leave early, before Naruto got back.”

                Shino, after a moment’s thought, reluctantly inclined his head.  “Perhaps… yes.”

                “But I didn’t even have a good reason for that.  I mean, there was no reason to leave without Naruto.  Oh, maybe I could have said he was too closely involved with Sasuke…” _…As was I…_ “…but I still should have waited for him.”  She picked up a water bottle and glugged down about half of it.  Shaking her head, she corked it again and stared at it for a moment.  “It was… pride.”  She decided.  “I always… I mean, I’ve always felt overshadowed by Naruto, by Sasuke… I wanted to do something myself.”

                “But again, Sakura-san, that was a decision we all made.  And…”  Shino hesitated, “…for largely the same reasons, I would suspect.”

                “Sounds like your leader tends to do everything himself.”  Hawkgirl commented, walking up and grabbing her own towel.  “So you other ninjas feel like you have to do something to make up for that, hm?”

“That’s not the point.  The point was, I motivated you all to do it.  Me, his teammate, who should know better than anyone how much that battle means to him.  I feel like… like I betrayed him.”  She gazed at the water bottle forlornly.  “Again.”  She slammed it down on the bench.

Hawkgirl sighed and sat down on the bench to towel her hair.  “If it makes you feel better,” she commented, “I once betrayed my boyfriend, my team, and my world.” 

“Earth or Thanagar?”  Shino raised an eyebrow.

Hawkgirl did not answer.  “It was a… war, of sorts.  I thought I had my reasons at the time, but…”  She shook her head.  “Sometimes I still wonder if I did the right thing.  I pretty much managed things so that everybody hated me.  On both worlds,” added she, with a nod to Shino.

“But, when it came down to it, I couldn’t just molder in retirement and feel sorry for myself.  I couldn’t expect anyone to just automatically trust me, either, but I needed to… earn back their trust, I guess.”  Shrugging, she offered Sakura a smile.  “And, in a small way, it worked.  My friends—most of them anyway—have all forgiven me and welcomed me back as part of the team.  Even the people don’t hate me so much anymore.  I lied a lot, but…” again she shrugged, “…they still gave me a second chance.”

Sighing, Sakura glanced up.  “Did you ever lie about loving someone?”

That stopped Hawkgirl for a second.  “No.”  She finally answered.  “No, I never lied about that.”

“That’s a bit different then, isn’t it?”

At this point the door swung open.  “Haruno-san?” queried Mr. Terrific.  “Ah.  I was told I could find you here.  Aburame-san.”  He offered Shino a short bow.  “The two of you don’t seem to be occupied… I was wondering if you could perhaps help me with something?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The warm, comforting sea of unconsciousness floated about Hinata, free and calm.  Hinata was a spot of coldness, a focused thought in a vast singing darkness.  Her anger glowed in this peaceful world.

                Another thought saw the anger, came closer.

                “You summoned me,” observed the Spectre, a curious look on his features.  “Not many can.”

                Hinata looked around.  “Is that what I’m doing?  I just know I needed to talk to you.”

                “You must want to talk to me very badly, for it to manifest like this.  I feel I should warn you that I will not come running everytime you do this.  You are an intermediary, not a superior.”

                “Forget that.”  Hinata snapped, clearly uncomfortable.  She glanced around her again, breathing hard.  “You… you hurt Naruto.  With me.”

                “I attempted to bind the Kyuubi and pull its spirit from him,” clarified the Spectre.  “It did not hurt.”

                “He didn’t want you to.”

                “He does not know what he wants.  Despite himself he craves the Kyuubi’s power and is unwilling to give it up, even though he knows its danger.  He believes he needs it to save your world.”  The Spectre snorted.  “It is the same folly that kept Rikudo Sennin from fully banishing the Juubi.”

                Hinata did not comment.  “I didn’t want you to.”

                “Yes, you did.”

                Hinata’s eyes grew wide and angry.  “How can you say that?!  I never…”

                “I did not attempt to bind the Kyuubi when I met Naruto at the restaurant, nor when he followed you to the church.”  The Spectre interrupted her.  “I had no interest in doing so.  Why, then, did I do so in your body at Gotham?”

                “I… I didn’t… I would never…”

                “Do not lie.  Not here.  Not to me.  You have always accepted Naruto for who he is, demon or no, but you have always secretly wished the demon gone.”

                Hinata hid her face.  “Only because the villagers hate him for it.”

                “That is not all.”

                “No…”  Hinata’s voice was muffled in her coat sleeves.  “When I… sometimes I think… I like to fantasize, you know… that… that… he might love me.  And then I…  I think about… marriage and…”  Sighing, she rubbed a hand across her eyes.  “But then it stops.  Father… the clan would never let me marry a jinchuuriki, whatever he’d done.”

                The Spectre gave a gentle nod.  “I told you, that when in your body, I could do nothing that you yourself would not allow me to.  It went farther than that.  Your will, your secret will, was in fact influencing my actions.  I had no interest in binding Kyuubi, it is not my responsibility.  But you did.”

                Hinata dried her face and looked up, eyes hard.  “I will never use your powers again.”

                “You will have to.  I did not give you your abilities for your own convenience, or even that of your teammates.  Their role has not ended, and until it has, my powers remain with you.  And you WILL need them.”

                “I won’t use them.”  Hinata repeated.  “Not if you’re going to try hurting Naruto everytime I do.”

                “I told you already, that was not my will, but yours.  I may as well also tell you that that was not supposed to happen.  I am Corrigan, not you.  I was to channel through you and act as Corrigan would, only restrained by your principles.  Instead, I began to act as you would.  You were becoming a true host, something very irregular, as you are neither dead nor vengeful.”

                Hinata blinked, taken aback.  “But that… what does that mean?”

                “I am not sure.”  The Spectre looked thoughtful.  “These things are oft hidden from me.  I told you once I selected you because your nature was compatible with my mission.  Perhaps it may be more compatible than I thought.”

                “I don’t care what it is.”  Hinata answered.  “If it’s my wishes influencing that power, than I shouldn’t have it.  I won’t use it.  Take it back.”

                “I will not.  You will.  You will need them yet, Hyuuga Hinata.”  And the Spectre drifted into nothingness, leaving Hinata alone.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “You mean like a sidekick?  I’ve always wanted my own sidekick!”  Practically dancing with glee, Flash rounded on the spandex-clad youth.  “Kid, you got any snappy one-liners?  A motto or a catchphrase or something?”

                “YOSH!  Flash-sensei, you are clearly exploding with the fire and passion of youth!  It shall be an honor to train under your leadership!”

                “That’ll work.  Add something in there about how awesome I am, why don’t ya?” grinned Flash.  He turned back to Batman.  “Yeah, I can bring him around with me.  You sure he can keep up, though?”

                “He might not move _quite_ at your rate.”  Batman conceded.  “But he should be able to help out in different ways.  In any case, you’re the only one that can match him at full speed, so you’re really the only one that can train him how to use that.”

                Flash’s face took on a more guarded expression.  “Wait a minute.  You mean I have to… like… _teach_ this kid?”

                “Each one of us seven has to train at least one of the ninjas.”  Batman fixed the speedster with a glare.  “This is the one best suited to you.”

                “But you’re training him already!  Besides… I was thinking of taking on that Kid Flash guy for training.”

                “Then Lee shouldn’t be any problem at all, he can train with the two of you.  Just keep him with you, show him any tricks or methods you have.”

                Flash rubbed his chin in a worried manner.  “I don’t really have any, actually… I just kinda make stuff up as I go along.”

                “Then show him how to do that.  It’s just three sessions a week, all you need to do is take him out on patrol and keep an eye on him.”  Batman tilted his head slightly.  “Shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

                “I… guess not,” agreed Flash, looking over his shoulder at the green-clad chunin again.

                “Good.”  Batman gave a curt nod.  “Report his progress to me periodically.”  And turning on his heel, the crimefighter stalked away.

                Shrugging, Flash faced his new apprentice.  “Okay… so.  Yeah.  Whaddaya want to do first?”

                “Flash-sensei!  Let us run around the tower thirty thousand times!”

                “Ha! I like you already.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “I think you enjoy that far too much.”  The cold voice froze Karin’s blood.

                Carefully, she withdrew her arm from the creature’s mouth, reattached the muzzle and breathing apparatus, and pressed the button to return it to the development capsule.  Only then did she turn to face the voice’s owner.  “It is a by-product of my powers, Luthor-sama.”  She answered, being careful to keep her eyes down.  “An unintended side-effect of techniques employed in my youth.”

                “Indeed.  Nonetheless, it seems you do it a great deal.”

                “Surely that is immaterial, Luthor-sama.”

                “Perhaps.”  Luthor regarded her with faint amusement.  “Certainly I cannot complain with the results.”

                Karin turned with the man to face the window.  They stood above a room roughly the size of a gymnasium, filled from wall-to-wall with long lines of tubes.  Each clear glass capsule was filled with a murky fluid, in which could be dimly glimpsed an indistinct form.  Wires and pipes sprouted from the top of each capsule, feeding in vitals and bringing out statistics.  Long robotic arms suspended from the ceiling searched among the tubes for a particular specimen.

                “We released Test Subject 46 this morning.”  Luthor observed calmly.  “Set him against three of our standard genetic experiments.”

                “Yes sir, I saw the reports.  Five minutes and thirty-six seconds.”

                “An impressive record, yes.”  Luthor nodded.  “And it seems he is indeed able to use chakra, or at least the curse blood that you’ve implanted.  If this remains consistent, your mutants may be more powerful and more intelligent than any previous models.”

                Despite her fear of the man, Karin could not resist a small glow of pride.  Work well done was work well done, after all.  “The equipment you’ve given me is a great help.  They seem better and more coherent than my best efforts under my old master.”

                “I should hope so.”  Luthor remarked sharply.  “I should hate to think you were holding any _more_ information back from me.”

                Karin gave just the tiniest wince.  Luthor had not been pleased to learn she’d hidden her knowledge of Sasuke.  The implant on her neck throbbed with the memory, and her fingers itched to massage it.  “I assure you, Luthor-sama, I have always done my work to my utmost.”

                “That is a commendable work ethic.”  Luthor nodded.  “For your sake, I hope you are still guided by it.  However, there is another matter I should like to discuss with you.  These ‘techniques’ the others use… could your mutants perform them?”

                Karin paused to consider this.  A great many of the test subjects resembled Juugo more than anything else, but a few others showed promise of being more versatile warriors.  “Possibly.  The curse seal almost renders that redundant, though, as the enhanced strength and speed are more than enough to ensure combat superiority, and full transformation often enables the subject to shoot pure chakra at opponents.”

                “What would be required for them to learn jutsus?”

                “Training.”  Karin gnawed her lip.  “Or simulations similar to the ones we’ve been running in their heads.  But I’m afraid that’s information I don’t really have, and neither would Juugo.”  She thought a moment.  “Is the other ninja still uncooperative?”

                “He appears to cooperate.   I do not trust him, however.”  Luthor frowned.  “So.  We will need to acquire information from a new player.  How…”

                Luthor stopped in mid-sentence.  His eyes grew vacant and slightly glassy, and his arms relaxed suddenly to fall by his side.  A grin curved his mouth, and he spoke in a voice that was not quite his own.

                “ **FOUND YOU**.”

               

 

* * *

 

 

                “Well, what have we found here?”  Sasuke glanced up at the rough call.  Three burly figures were advancing in the glow of twilight.  “Ol’ Pete Moneybags?  And he’s got a friend, well, well!”

                “Shit,” hissed Pete, leaping away.  “Run kid, run!”

                Sasuke couldn’t run, not with a broken leg.  But it didn’t really seem to do Pete much good either, as one of the three caught up with him and threw him to the ground.  The light was just good enough to see the man kicking Pete as he lay on the ground.

                “Well, a new kid.”  Sasuke twisted to face the speaker, a rather heavyset teenager with a cigarette dangling from his lips.  “Tell ya what.  Pete knows how this is supposed to work, but since he probably didn’t tell ya, we’ll go easy on you this time.  Here’s the deal.  50% of whatever you got in that coat in exchange for making sure nothing goes wrong tomorrow.”

                Sasuke’s eyes narrowed.  “Get lost.”

                “Tough kid, huh?”  The leader kicked out one hob-nailed boot at him.

                It was pointless to fight against such odds.  Sasuke knew that.  But after all the indignity of the day, he felt this final humiliation was the last straw

                Sasuke caught the boot with his good arm and twisted, throwing the leader to the pavement.  One good pull tugged the boot free and he hurled it at the man’s companion, who was just starting to move.  Its hob-nailed sole caught the man square in the face and he staggered backwards.

                A foot smashed into his back, knocking him face-first onto the pavement  His good arm whipped backwards to attack, but someone—probably the second man—caught hold of it and held it down.

                “That piece of shit!”  He heard the leader say.  “That piece of shit nearly sprained my ankle!  Get that coat off him, Bernie!”  The coat was torn loose, jostling Sasuke’s broken arm.  He hissed through clenched teeth and tried not to think of tomatoes.  “Holy shit, this kid was loaded!  Empty the pockets, Greg, we’ll split it later, I’m gonna…

                A sudden roaring filled the air, and a bright light burst across the pavement, dazzling Sasuke’s twilight-darkened eyes.  The pressure on his back lifted up suddenly, and he heard distantly the voices: “ _Oh shit man get out of here can’t let anybody  see us just leave the coat man leave it!”_

                And then there was a hand on his shoulder, and he was being pulled upright.  “Are you alright?” asked a new voice.  Sasuke could make out little of his rescuer, save his glinting bald forehead.

                “Blessings on your house.”  Sasuke said automatically.  Something clicked in his memory and he added: “There was an old man… Blind Pete… with me.  Could you…”

                “Oh yes, straightaway.  Er… just stay there a moment.” 

                Sasuke had just the strength to nod as the man hurried away.  Gingerly, he examined his arm.  It didn’t appear to be too badly damaged, but he was going to need a new splint.  Looking around, he spotted his coin-laden coat a few feet away.  A car was parked at the side of the curb, letting its headlights wash over everything.

                “He’s alright, just a little banged up,” came the man’s voice as he returned.  Sasuke turned to face him.  “Let’s get you on your feet.”

The headlights now threw their lights directly on the man, and Sasuke gave him a momentary perusal.  A simple rough raincoat covered a turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans, while up above a pair of large round spectacles adorned a wrinkled, friendly face.

“Wh-who are you?”  asked Sasuke, as the newcomer and Blind Pete helped him up.

The man gave him a smile.  “Oh, my names Norman.  Norman McCay.  Come now, let’s get you two to a shelter, eh?”


	22. Cooperation

 

                “Mr…  Row?  Alex Row?  You have a visitor.”

                Sasuke sat up and blearily blinked his eyes as his visitor made his way to his bedside.  “And how are you today, Mr. Row?”  The old man from the night before smiled at him.

                “Well enough.”  Sasuke nodded.  “The pain in my side is nearly gone, and the nurse says that x-rays show the ribs are healing well.  The leg and arm are still a little weak, of course, but…” he flexed them slightly, “They’re giving me some physical therapy.”

                “Good, good, I’m glad to hear it,” nodded Rev. McCay.  “I must say I was worried when I brought you in and they listed all those compound fractures you had all over.  Those are dangerous, you know.”

                “Yes.”  Sasuke had had first-hand experience of their dangers in the past week.  Needles had been poked into him, parts bandaged up, other parts swabbed, some parts had tubes shoved in them (THAT had been embarrassing), and countless pills taken.  This hospital had a very different sort of medicine than the kind Karin, Tsunade, or even Kabuto had given in the past.

                “Well, it’s certainly a relief to hear you’re doing so well.”  The strange little man smiled and took off his glasses to polish them.  “In a little while, I suppose you’ll be out of here, eh?”

                “Yes.”  Sasuke nodded.  To be back out, with all limbs working again… it seemed strangely wonderful.  Of course, his chakra would still be gone, but simply the ability to move freely without pain seemed enough of a gift right now.  A thought occurred to him.  “Where’s Blind Pete… ah… the man who you brought here with me?”

                “Him?  He left a few days ago.  Nothing serious with him, at least not like you.  A cracked rib, nothing more.  I saw him just yesterday, in fact, begging on the street.”  The reverend finished polishing his glasses and put them back on his nose.  “I’ll tell him you asked about him, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” 

                “Thank you.”  Why _had_ he asked about Blind Pete?  The man meant nothing to him, after all.

                “I’m afraid I must be going now.”  The minister stood.  “Sorry to leave you so quickly, but a parishioner of mine, Mrs. Whitlow, is in the cardio section and I ought to see her before I go.  Good to see you doing so well.  When you DO get out…” he took a small pamphlet out of his coat and placed it on the bedstand, “…feel free to visit me at Sunday worship.  We’re always open to new arrivals.  At the very least, check into a homeless shelter of some kind.  The streets aren’t safe.”

                “Neither am I.”  Sasuke muttered, too low for the Reverend to hear.  He disinterestedly picked through the pamphlet, but as Rev. McCay moved to the door he called out suddenly.  “Reverend?”

                The elderly man paused and half-turned.  “Yes?”

                “Why…”  Sasuke struggled a little, “…why are you doing all this?  Taking me to the hospital, paying my bills… giving me this…” he gestured at the pamphlet.  “Just… why?”

                Rev.  McCay frowned a little in thought.  Turning completely, he faced Sasuke and answered, “Well, the pamphlet is simply ordinary evangelism.  Hasty evangelism even, I’m a minister and I ought to simply talk to you, but as I said, I’m in a hurry.  But as for the rest…”  He shook his head.  “I’m not sure.  I wish I could say I stop to help beggars all the time, but that’s simply not true.”  His shoulders shrugged.  “I really can’t say.  All I know, Mr. Alex Row, is that I think God has put you in my path for a reason.  The least I can do is see it through.”

                Sasuke frowned.  “And… why would you do that?”

                “I’m a minister,” chuckled the man.  “Helping and understanding people is part of the job description.  Or should be, anyway.  We all have our little roles to play, Mr. Row, and personally, I believe that part of my role was to help you recover for the last week or so.  I hope to see you again, I probably shan’t, but in any case, I feel I have fulfilled my little part in this world simply by helping you.”

             

* * *

 

 

                “Hey, can I help you with something?”  
                Neji turned to the red-caped superhero in the doorway.  “Me?  Not particularly.  Why do you ask?”

                With a little laugh, Superman entered the room.  “It’s just not normal for people to spend several hours in the monitor womb like this.  Well, Batman does it sometimes, but…”

                “I enjoy seeing things.”  Neji answered, turning back to examine the screens.  “Or at least, I am trained to observe and felt I should acquaint myself with the observation system in this facility.”

                “Oh really?  What for?”

                “I like knowing my surroundings,” shrugged Neji, not turning from the screens.

                “Mm.”  Superman chewed his lip for a moment before asking, “Say, how’d you get in here, anyway?  It’s supposed to be off limits.”

                “Green Arrow let me in.”

                A faint expression of frustration crossed Superman’s face.  “Right.  You’re training with him.  How’s that going?”

                “Well enough.”  Neji shrugged.  “He’s been teaching me how to shoot.”  A jerk of his head indicated a bow and quiver of arrows leaning against the console beside him.  “Archery isn’t unheard-of in the Hyuuga clan but it is perhaps a trifle… underdeveloped.  In any case it should balance out my short-range specialization.”

                Superman simply nodded.  For a moment the two fell silent.

                “Perhaps there is something you could explain to me,” said Neji finally.  Turning, he gestured to a bank of screens.  “These monitors keep an eye on world events… floods, earthquakes, appearance of random demi-gods…”

                “Yes.”  Superman nodded.  “The Watchtower is linked into most of the major news venues and an extensive satellite network that monitors events worldwide.  It’s how we manage to respond in time.  Several nations have expressed reservations about…”

                Neji waved irritably.  “I understand all that.  It’s a very comprehensive system, very fascinating.  What I was more interested in was this.”  He pointed.

                Superman looked.  A number of news reports, articles, and satellite feeds had been collected on the screen in question.  Civil War in Sudan.  Genocide in Burma.  Riots in Libya.  Thousands of small internal conflicts in thousands of different third-world states.

                “As far as I can tell, no League members were dispatched to any of these.”  Neji’s voice was quiet in the womb.  “All involved massive loss of life and great upheaval.  Yet no League action has been taken.”  He turned and stared at Superman.  “Why?”

                Superman reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “It’s a bit… complicated…”

                “I fail to see what could be ‘complicated’ about it.”  Neji answered.  “You told me you are an apolitical organization, with no outside loyalties.  Essentially, then you do only what you wish to do, submit only to those laws with which you agree.  You are bound by nothing and obey no one.  The only answer, then, can be that you do not wish to.”

                “It’s… no.  That’s not it.”  Sighing, Superman gazed up at the ceiling.  “Look.  Can I sit down?”

                Neji shrugged.  “It’s your tower.  Do as you see fit.”

                Sighing again, Superman pulled back a chair and sat down, next to Neji.  “Okay, for some of those places, it’s a question of national sovereignty.  They don’t want us there, so we don’t bother them.”

“Instead, you leave the governments free to continue massacring their people.”  Neji nodded.  “I see.”

“We can’t force the world to fit our mold.  Even if we violently disagree with how a nation or group of people handle their affairs, we can’t just go in there and ‘fix’ them as we see fit.”  Superman’s voice betrayed his doubt. 

“But surely that is what your organization is all about.”  Neji frowned.  “You are already meddling in the affairs of the government, your government.  You do not submit to their control, but you nonetheless dictate to their armies and law-enforcement.  Do you not have a direct line to the president in this very base?”

“Yes… to be there if he needs us.  The president dictates to us, not the other way around,” protested Superman.

Neji’s eyebrows arched upwards in mock surprise.  “You follow his orders then?  I was under the impression that you had no political affiliation.  Then too, why does the League not assist in armed conflicts?  Is war somehow less heroic?”

“No.  The League itself has been involved more than once in interstellar warfare.  But again, in national and political affairs…”

“You do not involve yourselves.  Right.”  Neji sighed.  “Instead, you allow organized criminals to continue while failing to pledge loyalty to any sort of organized authority structure.”

  “We’re not global police.  We’re global defenders.”

“I fail to see the difference.” 

Superman let out a long, level sigh and let his head drop into his hands.  For a moment, he stared at the floor in silence.

                “You know what it’s like to see everything.”  He began.

                Neji frowned.  “I fail to see what…”

                “But could you imagine what it’s like to HEAR everything?”  Superman looked up at him.  “Just sitting in this room, Neji, I can hear a car accident, ten miles away.  I can hear the bone crunching.  Fifteen miles away in another direction, there’s an armed robbery at a bank.  There are seventeen people being held hostage.  I can hear them all.  Five miles from here, a cat is stuck in a tree.  It’s yowling.  Loudly.  All this is happening, while I’m sitting here talking to you.  Nearly five people have died in the course of our discussion.”

                Neji blinked.

                “I could have saved them all.  And fifteen years ago, when I first came to Metropolis, I would have.  My first year in the big city, I nearly went crazy trying to be everywhere, do everything, save everyone.”  Superman held Neji’s gaze.  “And do you know what happened?”

                Unable to offer any sort of reply, Neji simply shook his head.

                “The accident rate tripled.  Or rather, the attempted accident rate.”  Superman gave a light little snort.  “The people of Metropolis started to stop caring about safety, because they had the ultimate safety net—me.  Some even deliberately endangered themselves for a chance to be rescued by the Man of Tomorrow.”  Superman closed his eyes.  “Except… not all of them were.”

                “Because you stopped saving them?”  Neji asked.

                “No!  Or yes, partly, but only because I was busy saving them from other things.”  Superman grimaced.  “See, this was around when the super-villains started showing up.”

                Nodding, Neji rubbed his chin.  “I… think I begin to see.”

                “Then you’re faster than me,” chuckled Superman ruefully.  “I didn’t, not for several years.  It took me a while to appreciate what the super-villains forced me to do.  They forced me to stop saving everyone, and in turn forced the people of Metropolis to start being careful again.”

                Superman returned his gaze to Neji.  “The Justice League doesn’t interfere in global matters because we’re too powerful to do so.  If I were to support my country in whatever war they chose to fight, they could fight wars utterly without consequence.  If it chose to dictate national policy, the Justice League could rule the world.  In some dimensions, we have.”  A troubled look crossed his face.  “But we don’t, because that’s not our job.  Our job is to fight the battles ordinary people can’t, so they can deal with the smaller problems themselves.”

                “Interesting,” mused Neji.  He said nothing for a few moments, then shook his head.  “No.  I understand your course better now, but it is still one I cannot  condone.  As a servant of my village, I cannot only fight those battles I see fit to do so.  Larger matters are at stake than just my ego.  It is my duty, as a part of the village, to fight for the village.”  He looked at Superman meaningfully.  “Similarly, as part of your country, it should be part of your duty to fight for that country.”

                Superman smiled.  “I like to think of myself more as a part of the world, or even part of humanity, than as part of a single nation.”

                “Except from what I understand, you are neither.”

                “Leaving me free to choose my allegiances,” shrugged the Kryptonian.  “If we go by birth, than technically I guess I’m not part of this world at all.  In which case, my own conscience is the only guide I have.”

                Neji snorted.  “A weak and fickle guide.”  Getting up from the chair, he brushed off his pants and made for the door.  “I have training with Batman to attend.  Thank you regardless for your explanation.”

                “Anytime.”  Superman shrugged.  “And Neji?  Perhaps if our world was totally populated with people like me, I might agree with you.  But because of my power…”  Superman shrugged.  “…I can’t choose sides.  It’d completely unbalance things.”

                Neji grunted and left.

* * *

 

“What can you tell me about chakra in items?”

                Sakura sighed.  “Well, chakra-enhanced material is not unknown.  Special metals, for instance, and element-testing paper.  But that requires years of preparation.”

                “And resources you probably do not possess.”  Shino raised an eyebrow at the man at the computer panel.  “Terrific-san, this seems a poor time to question us.  Why?  Because I think you will find it hard to focus on our information and on the coordination of….”  Shino pointed at one of the myriad screens behind the scientist, “…the rescue effort in Thailand.”

                “There you are mistaken, Aburame-san.  The rescue effort, though very important, is merely administrative work.”  Terrific gave a little chuckle.  “I could probably do it in my sleep by now.”

                “Indeed.”  Shino studied the screens thoughtfully.  “Terrific-san, if you do not object to my saying so, you seem a most unusual member for this ‘League of Justice.’  You are… different.  Less combat-oriented”

                Terrific shrugged.  “I hold five black belts and have a rudimentary knowledge of various martial arts.  But yes, I suppose I am a bit unusual.”

                “I am at a loss to understand how you came to join them.  From what I understand, your group is entirely voluntary, but has a stress level that only the most dedicated can survive.  However, though your devotion is obvious, your stress is not.  Such behavior puts me in mind of the kikasi bug of the…”

                “What Shino means…” Sakura interrupted her fellow rookie with a look, “…is that you seem more suited to… a civilian life of some kind.  Not really something like this.”

                “The League has many civilians who work for them.”  Terrific pointed out, gesturing to the technicians in the room below.

                “Yeah, but you’re not one of them.”  Sakura countered.  “You’re one of their ‘heroes.’  You were one before the League.  You don’t work for them, you ARE… them.”

                “I am ONE of them.”  Terrific corrected absentmindedly.  “And yes.”

                “Why?”               

                This question did not receive an immediate reply.  Terrific drummed his fingers on the desk and made a few adjustments to his figures on the screen.  “Terry Sloane.”  He said finally.  “A man called Terry Sloane.”

Sakura frowned in thought.  “Have we… met him?”

“I doubt it.  He died years ago.  Few people have even heard of him.  He was the first Mr. Terrific, made the suit and the slogan.  His example inspired me.”

“What, you knew him?”

“Not… as such.”  Terrific’s frown could be seen in the mirror of the screen.  “I knew his story, of course, but… it never really hit me, until a… well, I guess I’d call it a hallucinatory episode brought it back to me.”

Shino raised both his eyebrows.  “Hallucinatory episode?”

“It was a… difficult period for me.”  Terrific’s voice had just the slightest hitch to it.  “My wife and… well, she was going to have a child… they…”  He cleared his throat and gave his head a short jerk of apology.  “A simple accident.  It could have happened to anybody.  It probably has.”

Sakura and Shino said nothing.

“In any case, a difficult time.”  Terrific’s face was fixed stonily on the screens before him.  “I was going through all number of things… drinking, depression, nervous breakdowns… thought about suicide for a while…”  he shrugged.  “Hallucinatory episodes were just another bump in the road.”

There was another long silence.  Finally Terrific cleared his throat and resumed.  “Anyway.  Inspired by Terry Sloane, I broke up my company and became the new Mr. Terrific.  When Superman formed the Justice League, I joined as soon as I could and applied my skills to the organization.”  He managed to crack a smile.  “To be honest, I prefer working in the Justice League to doing solo work.  Tactics and administration are more my specialty than hand-to-hand combat.”

                Sakura swallowed.  “I’m so sorry about your…”

                “What exactly do you do here?” said Shino quickly.  Despite his social ineptitude, Shino knew a stoic façade when he saw one and understood perfectly that Terrific did not wish to discuss his past any further.

                Terrific shrugged again.  “All manner of things.  Mission assignments, risk analysis, tower maintenance, scientific studies, working out timetables and budgets, hiring new technicians, coordinating international efforts…  Things like that.”

                “And again, I must say what I did before.  This seems an unusual role for a superhero.  You could perform it just as well as a civilian.”

                “In many ways, a superhero IS a civilian, albeit a highly talented one dressed up in a fancy costume.  Intelligence and administrative knowledge is a power just like any other.  Indeed, I might say it is THE power, to be able to supervise the inner workings of a team.  Superman could not do what I do, just as I could not do what Superman does.”  Half-turning, Terrific offered them a lopsided grin.  “Contrary to popular belief, all men are NOT created equal.”

                Shino’s brow wrinkled.  “I beg your pardon?”

                Terrific sighed and turned back.  “Forget it.  Isolated historical reference, reflecting an important humanistic principle of the 17th century.  Actually, it’s talking about legal rights, not capabilities, so the example doesn’t particularly apply, especially as Superman isn’t exactly…”  Terrific shook his head, clearing the thought.  “Never mind.  In any case, the point stands that all men have different talents.  And, in a civilization, where there are many roles to fill, those talents have to match up with those roles.”

                “Like a hive.”  Shino nodded.

                “Or a village,”  Sakura sent her teammate what she hoped was an admonishing look.  Could he make any NON-creepy metaphors?

                Terrific’s eyes blinked twice as he processed this.  “Yes, very much so.  Hyuuga Neji was born with a very different set of talents than either of you.  Just as you were born with a very different set of talents than he.  Naturally, each of you will be suited for different roles.”

                “Well… yes.”  Shino frowned.  “That is basic administration.”

                “But someone needs to do the administering.  You could have something like the caste, or feudal system, where you assume everything depends on genetics, but an administrator is a much more flexible and sure method of assigning talents to roles.”  Terrific inclined his head modestly.  “And that’s me.  It is not, perhaps, the most glorious position, but just because the agent’s unseen doesn’t mean it’s not important.”

* * *

 

                “Naruto?”  Neji blinked as he recognized the teen on the edge of light.  “What’re you doing here?”

                Naruto’s gaze did not stray from the fighting ring in the centre and the green-and-black forms battling across it.  “Superman says I should try to learn more control.  He said Batman could help.”  He glanced over at Neji.  “What’re you here for?”

                Neji snorted and crossed his arms.  “Batman finds the Hyuuga style intriguing and wishes to practice against it.  I have also gained much insight from my bouts with him and Robin.”

                “Geez.”  Naruto’s eyebrow climbed upwards.  “You, me, Lee… how many guys is this psycho training?”

                “Master Inuzuka also drops by here on occasion,” intoned a respectful voice behind them.  The two turned to behold a refined-looking elderly man, carrying a tray.  “However, that is merely to supplement his fuller training with Bwana Beast.  Similar to your own situation, I would imagine.  Master Rock is the only one of you Batman is fully training.”  He proffered the tray.  “Biscuits?”

                Naruto shrugged, grabbing one and stuffing it in his mouth.  Neji studied the man.  “You are Batman’s servant, I take it?”

                “His butler,” nodded the man.

                “Mm.”  Neji took a biscuit, bowing in thanks.  “My name is Hyuuga Neji.  And yours?”

                The man smiled.  “Alfred will do.”  Crossing past them, he set the tray down on the Batcomputer and began to dust off the chair.  “Pardon me while I take advantage of the little time while Master Bruce is NOT seated in front of this machine.”

                “I was not aware the League employed indentured servants,” commented Neji, still studying the butler.

                “They do not, master Hyuuga.  I am the Batman’s personal butler.”  Squinting at a finger-smudged screen, the butler produced a cloth and spray bottle from practically thin air and began to clean.  “I have served Master Wayne for many years.”

                “Is this a family thing?”  Neji raised an eyebrow.

                The butler paused.  “I suppose it is, in a way.  My father served the Waynes, and I in my turn inherited his position.”

                “What did you do before this?”  asked Naruto, his mouth full of biscuit.

                Alfred shrugged, his attention fixed on the computer.  “Oh, I dabbled in the theatre, I took some medical lessons… this and that.  For a short period I was in the military.”

                “You were in the army?”  Naruto’s eyebrows arched in amusement.  “Dude! What kind?”

“Special forces.”  The butler frowned at the smudges on the screen.  “Gracious, what MADE these?”

“Special Forces?”  Naruto practically cackled. “You?  Oh, that’s awesome.  Why’d you ever leave?”

                “To serve as master Bruce’s butler.”  Alfred paused and amended.  “Well, Master Thomas’ butler.  Then Master Wayne’s guardian.  Then…”

                “You gave up a life in like, jounin-level missions to dust computers?”  Naruto shook his head disbelievingly.  “I don’t buy it, man.”

                “Some people have respect for the positions of rank.”  Neji reminded his friend, a touch too forcefully.

                “Indeed they do.”  The butler turned to look at them, eyeing Neji with particular curiosity.  “But I also tired of the war.  I was good at it, in my own way, but… well, the life was not for me.  I am happy here.”

                “Seriously?”  Naruto guffawed.  “You’re happy serving as the unknown underling to a grouch who barely acknowledges you?”

                Neji closed his eyes.  While Naruto’s thick-headedness could be an asset in combat, at times he really wished his friend would gain a more tactful side.

                For a long moment, Alfred simply studied Naruto with calm, implacable eyebrows.  Then he sighed and set down his cloth and bottle.  “Do you see that man, out there?”  He pointed at the dueling combatants in the ring.  “He is a man who has fought with alien warlords and demon princes.  He is a man whose actions have shaped the course of nations and saved the world more times than I care to count.”  Turning to look at the Batman, he stood ramrod straight at attention.  “It is an honor, and more, to serve such a man.”

                “But he doesn’t acknowledge you!”  Naruto insisted.  “No one does!  Why go carting around biscuit trays when you could be out fighting and changing the world yourself?”

                “Because I prefer it this way.”  Alfred shot the boy an almost disdainful look.  “Not all of us need praise, Master Uzumaki.  And whatever you might think, Master Wayne is grateful for my service, in his own way.  At the end of the day, the warrior needs a sanctuary to come home to, and an aide to support him in his times of trial.  It is my privilege, and my honor, to be such an aide, and to maintain such a sanctuary.”

                “It is like Iruka-sensei,” supplied Neji, seeing Naruto opening his mouth again.  “Do you think HE would like to be Hokage?”

                Naruto’s mouth clapped shut and he stood frowning.

                Alfred offered Neji a small nod.  “I do not know who this ‘Iruka’ chap is, but thank you for understanding, young man.”

                “It’s nothing.”  Neji waved the thanks away.  “You remind me of a superior of mine.  I am curious, though… have you ever wished to be more than a mere servant?”

                Alfred’s lidded gaze glanced into the darkness of the cave.  “There are servants, sir, and then there are BUTLERS.”

                “Yes, but…”

                “He already is.”  Batman’s voice rang out.  The others turned to see him standing on the edge of the ring, an exhausted Lee collapsed on the mat.  “Alfred is much more than a butler.  He is a friend.”

                Without even blinking, Alfred offered the vigilante a stiff bow.  “Thank you, sir.  Would you care for some lemonade, sir?”

                “Not now, Alfred.”  Batman turned around.  “Again, Lee!”

* * *

 

 

"Excuse me… here's something new they just handed me." The microphone went silent for a moment. "The evacuation from Thailand has been completed, and the facility responsible for the devastation has been stabilized.  The Justice League plans to work with local authorities and relevant UN forces to secure the region.”

"Miss, were any of the ninjas involved in this operation?"

"The report says that Akimichi Chouji and U-uzumaki N-naruto were crucial in the rescue of the miners and villagers." The woman's stutter was just barely noticeable, but it was there.

“Miss, what about rumors that the ninja Uzumaki Naruto was responsible for generating the crisis?  Is it true he was the initial cause of destabilizing?  Is…”

The figure at the podium raised a hand to forestall the rising babble of questions.  “The facility was using a highly experimental, highly illegal, and highly unsafe geothermal power generation device.  That device is the direct cause of the current crisis.”  Pausing for effect, she added, “It is true that the device was damaged in the League’s battle for control of the island, but it is unknown whether that damage is related to the island’s seismic activity, and if so, who was responsible for the relevant damage.”

"Will the League be investigating further into this matter?"

"Now that the crisis has passed, there is no need for League involvement.  The relevant authorities, of course, will be performing their own investigation, and doubtless they will inform the world of their findings.”

Lois, from her position behind the curtain, snorted lightly. _Doubtless._

"Is that all? Thank you then! Have a good day!"

The sound of scraping chairs filled the atrium, accompanied by the mutter of reporters and the flash of cameras. Lois grinned as the dark-haired lady came back behind the curtain. "Dang it, girl, I gave you some pointers, but you were GOOD out there!"

Hinata blushed lightly as she undid the ponytail. "I ha-have always been taught in d-diplomatic relations as p-part of my role as clan h-heiress."

"Aaaaand there's that stutter back." Lois frowned. "You know, for most people, getting in front of a crowd would make that thing worse."

"O-oh… crowds are n-no trouble. Th-they're just people. I d-don't even know m-most of them and th-they don't really care about what I'm saying anyway. A-and speeches… I d-don't have to think of what t-to say with speeches. Th-they're just f-formulas, you just fill in the… the blank."

Lois' mouth twisted in a smirk. "Ha! That's what I've been saying about political press conferences for years! Hey now, what're you doing?" She hurried over to Hinata. "That suit looks good on you!"

"It f-feels uncomfortable." Hinata pulled the jacket off. "A-all s-scratchy and st-stiff."

"Oh, c'mon, it makes you look professional. Besides, blue is a good color for you."

Hinata glanced around uneasily. "Wh-where d-did you p-put my sweater?"

"Aahhh…" Lois sighed. "It's in the bag, right over there, with your other things. You can change in the next room. Keep the suit and skirt, though, you may want them next time."

Lois waited in the anteroom for a few moments, clicking away at things on her Blackberry. An e-mail caught her eye and she opened it, only to smile. "Clark…" she rolled her eyes. "You are so clueless…"

"I'm ready." Hinata emerged from the door, once again clad in her colorful hooded sweatshirt. "Th-thank you for helping me with all this, Lois-san."

"Just Lois," replied the reporter absentmindedly, pocketing her Blackberry. "And it's no trouble.  You have NO idea how much Perry loves this ‘Interviews with a Ninja’ series I’ve been writing about helping you.  People are eating it up."

Hinata looked a little uncertain.  “Is that… good?”

“Good?  That’s great!  Kid, you might not realize it, but you being in the public eye is doing wonders for the reputation of you ninjas.”  Pushing open the door, Lois left the anteroom, Hinata a step behind her.  “Helps people really understand you guys, realize that you just really are kids.   Makes them a little less afraid of your Naruto kid.”

“Th-there’s no reason to be afraid of Naruto-kun.”  Hinata objected, following Lois to her car.

“What the heck does reason have to do with it?” smirked Lois, arching an eyebrow at the kunoichi.  “Apart from his incredible level of power and the fact that practically no one on earth can stop him, there’s no reason to fear Superman either, but that doesn’t stop half the world most days.”  Lois popped open the car door.  “The world doesn’t understand people who can fly, make spaceships out of green light, or turn invisible at will.  So of course they’re scared of them.  Heck, Batman makes a career out of that.”

"So you… help people understand them better?"

"Thaaaaats an awfully nice word for it. Maybe too nice a word. But then, you're too nice a person, so I guess I should have expected it." Lois ruffled Hinata's hair, something that was becoming a habit with her. "Of course, it helps when the main person I have to defend them to is someone like Superman.  He doesn’t have to fight to get people to understand him."

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “One of my old teachers, a man by the name of Cain, viewed combat as a language.”  Batman’s voice rang out across the training area.

                “A… language, Batman-sensei?”  Lee’s voice came gasping in reply.

                 Batman nodded as he unleashed a flurry of kicks at the chunin.  “A language of physical violence, one that all fighters could understand, one that helps them better understand each other.  Theoretically, this man held, true warriors could understand each other perfectly from the first blow in a battle.”

                From his position far on the sidelines of the training arena, Naruto turned to Neji, grinning with amazement.  Neji simply snorted.

                “Do you agree, Batman-sensei?”

“The man was a trifle bizarre,” shrugged Batman in mid-battle.  “But a genius, in his own way.  For instance, your forceful, straightforward style indicates a single-minded, devoted nature.  Your speed and efficiency, as well as the uniformity of your movements, suggest you have trained continuously in this style, far beyond simple mastering of the style.”

                “Duuuude…” whistled Naruto, shaking his head. 

                Neji simply snorted again.  “Lee’s nature is not exactly a secret.”  He muttered.

                “You are most insightful, Batman-sensei!”  Lee grunted as one of Batman’s chops went home.  “But I am also a master of the Drunken Fist style!”

                “Mm.  So I would have guessed.  Hand-to-hand combat has been so deeply engrained in you, that even in a semi-conscious state you remain capable of combat.  Not only does a combatant’s nature determine their fighting style, but often a person’s fighting style can serve a part of determining who they themselves are.  Tell me, have you ever fought while asleep?  Or after you have been effectively rendered unconscious by an opponent?”

                Neji’s eyebrow arched upwards.

                A slight pause.  “How… would I know, Batman sensei?”

                “Fair enough.”  Batman spun around in a flurry of blows, ducking under Lee’s kick and weaving around him.  “I would guess you are at least capable of it, given sufficient motivation.  At some point in your training, we will need to try it, or at least test your Drunken Fist.”

                “Oh, we have GOT to come here for that fight.”  Naruto chuckled in an undertone.  Neji nodded.

                “Very well, Batman-sensei!”  Lee leapt up and delivered a sharp, unexpected kick to Batman’s torso.  It went home, but the crimefighter was already throwing himself back, rolling with the blow.  “But tell me, what could you say about my other comrades?”

                Batman grunted as he hit the floor, already rolling away from Lee’s follow-up blow.  His legs coiled under him and he leapt to his feet.  “I haven’t fought them all.”  He admitted, dodging Lee’s repeated kicks.  “Use your hands more, boy.  From those I have, though, I would surmise that your friend Sakura berserker strength and wild attacks indicate a wild, unpredictable temper.  Akimichi Chouji is obviously a heavy eater, but he seems to have a straightforward nature.  His reflexes are slightly hesitant also, suggesting he dislikes fighting and is somewhat insecure, perhaps as part of his weight.  Sai, who I fought in the Batplane, has a surprisingly creative mind, but the way he uses it implies a life dominated by violence, and his traditional style of artistry reflects a respect for rules and establishments.  Inuzuka Kiba’s style is fierce and feral, but overconfident and dependent on partners.”

                Naruto looked at Neji again.  For perhaps the first time since Naruto had known him, the Hyuuga looked almost impressed.

                “Your friend Neji is an interesting case.”  Neji stiffened.  In the training area, Batman and Lee were trading blows fairly evenly.  “I fought him for a good long time.  With him too, the highly traditional style of combat denotes a respect for establishments.  I would guess combat is very personal to him, as his attacks are very fierce and intense.  He is obviously very focused, which means this personal aspect of combat has its origin in the far past, and is responsible for a great deal of his drive.”

                Neji’s gaze was beyond intense right now.  It was practically burning holes in the back of Batman’s cape.

                “What’s more interesting is how his fight style has changed him.”  Batman paused momentarily as he aimed a roundhouse kick at Lee.  “Targeting internal organs is a specialized ability, even among your people.  I would not be surprised if it made him a trifle arrogant.   Also, the ability to look within a body, as well as over great distances, might disenchant one with the body, meaning that someone with his abilities become very introspective, even spiritual.  Definitely, he would be emotionally secretive, as I imagine most of his family is.”  A short grunt as Lee delivered a side chop to Batman’s head.  “After all, the fact that his cousin possesses the same eyes makes this ability a genetic trait, probably making him a very family-conscious person.  I could even relate this to the origin of his drive, guessing that his personal stake in combat derives from a tragic event in his family’s past.” 

Batman whipped under Lee’s kick and planted an elbow firmly in his stomach.  The green-clad chunin doubled over and collapsed with barely a groan.  Straightening, Batman looked outside the ring, directly at the two spectators.

“Personal tragedy is a powerful driving force, Hyuuga-san.  Just be careful it does not dominate you.”

With a small hiss, Neji turned and strode off into the darkness.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Excuse me, Fat Hag.”

                Waller half-turned.  “Can I help you?”

                “I am hoping so.”  Sai walked up to her brightly.  “I was wondering if you could tell me where Green Lantern has gone?”

                “Not sure.  Last I heard, he was busy dealing with a situation in the Midwest, but no one has seen fit to tell me anything further.”

                “Probably because they don’t like you.”

                “Very possibly.”  Waller returned his gaze evenly.  “Sorry I couldn’t help you.”

                “No problem.”  Sai smiled.  “Thanks anyway, ugly cow.”

                Waller snorted at that.  “I’ve been called a lot worse by a lot better, brat.”

                “By people here?”  Sai cocked his head.

                “’Better than you’ is an awfully broad category.”  Waller smirked.  “As for who is calling me what, that’s none of your concern.  Good day.”

                Waller started to walk away, but Sai called after her.  “Tell me…” he hesitated, a strangely intrigued look on his face.  “Why do you work here?”

                With a slight groan, Waller stopped and turned.  “I’m the government liason.  The link between the Justice League and the United States.”

                “No.”  Sai shook his head.  “I mean, why do you work in a job where everyone hates you?  Are you a masochist?”

                Waller’s face did not change.  “The president asked me to.”

                “But doesn’t it bother you?”

                “That doesn’t matter.  Nothing matters, except the job.”

                Sai’s eyebrows jumped as that last comment.  “ _There is no emotion, there is no humanity, there is only the mission_.”  He muttered.  “Yes, I think I understand.”

                Waller’s eyebrows narrowed.

                For a moment the two stood, facing each other.  Finally Waller gave a grunt and cocked her head upwards.  “Black ops?”

                Sai processed the phrase and nodded.  “We call it Root.”

                “Village in the Leaves, Root…”  Waller mused.  “Clever.”

                “The normal black ops division is simply called ANBU.  Root is a more… private segment.  Under Lord Danzou.”

                “Private agenda.”

                “Indeed.  Danzou used us for missions that the current Hokage… could not be trusted with.”

                “Hm.”  Waller gave a little nod.  “I was in charge of a group called Cadmus.”  She admitted.  “Designed as a safeguard against the Justice League, in case they ever went rogue.  Black ops could be one of the nicer terms for it.”

                Sai smiled.  “Likewise.”

                There was another silence as the two mulled this over.

                “Sometimes…”  Waller muttered, half to herself, “…things need to be done.  Things that the heroes don’t want to do, because they don’t like to get their fingers dirty.”

                “Things that they CAN’T do, because of the example they provide.”  Sai nodded.

                “But they still need to be done.  Because not everyone plays by the heroes’ rules.  And not everyone has the heroes’ gift of invincibility.”  Waller’s gaze hardened slightly.  “They need to be done, because for some things, you can’t afford an ‘oops.’”

                Sai’s face was cold and hard.  “People don’t always like to think about what happens in dark places, but someone needs to, because they still happen.”

                “The velvet glove needs the iron hand.”

                “The leaves bathing in the sun need the roots that grow in the dark.”

                “Exactly.”  Waller nodded.  “Because not everyone can always be in the spotlight.”

* * *

 

 

                “Heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Booster Gold… even Batman in his own way, love the spotlight.”  Green Arrow snorted as he and Neji crouched against the edge of the building.  “I mean, why else do you dress up in colored tights and go prancing around rooftops?”

                “Odd words, coming from a man dressed in green spandex,” noted Neji, staring off into the distance.

                “Point,” grinned the archer.  “But notice I never said there was anything wrong with wanting the spotlight.  You can do a lot of good there if you play it right and if your heart’s in the right place.  And much as I rip on them, most of the guys in the League DO have their heart in the right place.  Superman especially.  They just get a little… carried away with all the attention.  For instance… did you look at those vid feeds I told you about?”

                “Yes.”  Neji nodded.  “Superman saw me and… explained the reasoning.  Apparently, he feels that interfering in such matters would be counterproductive and tantamount to global rule.”

                “Right.  Heart in the right place.”  Arrow nodded.  “But also caught up in the spotlight.  Because Supes is such a public guy, he can’t really afford to take a stance on things like that.  So he sticks to stuff everyone agrees on—like fighting space aliens.  Hard to argue with fighting space aliens.”

                “Ah yes.  What are those, again?”

                Green Arrow glanced at the boy, but there was no sign he was joking.  “Guys like J’onn.  Except, you know, evil.”

                “Oh.”  Neji nodded.

                “Point is, they get so caught up in those big things, they forget about the little stuff down here.”  Gesturing at the street below, Arrow shook his head.  “Before he started training Naruto, do you know the last time Supes went on patrol?  Or Flash?  Even Batman doesn’t spend half the time he used to in Gotham, and he’s obsessed with that city like nobody’s business.  Heroes used to be about helping the little guy.”  Arrow snorted.  “Now, they’re all about helping the Man.”

                “Which man is that?”

                “No, it’s an expression, like…”

                “Robbery three blocks away.”  Neji noted suddenly.  “No police within response distance.”

                Green Arrow sprang up.  “Let’s go.”

                The duo leapt over the rooftops, clearing the gaps with practiced ease and bounding across open stretches.  Neji, who probably could have made the stretch in half the time it took his trainer, kept even pace with him, watching closely.  The archer ducked into a roll on his last leap and came up on the edge of the building, drawing his bow and notching an arrow with a fluidity Neji could only marvel at.  “You first, kid.”  He muttered as Neji came up.  “Let’s see how you’re doing.”

                Some Hyuuga’s were archers, but not many, for the simple reason that the Byakugan actually had very poor depth perception.  When things half a mile away were as clear as those in front of your face, it could take a minute to figure out where everything was.  Generally, this problem could be corrected with a sufficient level of training, which Neji had long since reached, but it still made long-distance combat difficult, hence the Hyuuga emphasis on close-range fighting.

                Also, just because you could SEE several miles didn’t mean you could draw a line between those two points and accurately predict where an arrow would fly if you released it.  Drawing an arrow and nocking it, as he had seen Green Arrow do countless times, Neji breathed out, aimed the arrow at the dark figure waving a gun at the desk, and…

                _Twang!_

 _Twang!_ Resounded the bow next to him a half-second later, and Neji could already see why.  His arrow smashed through the glass and sailed cleanly over the robber’s head, startling him enough to turn and catch the other square in the chest.  Shock charges ripped through him and he fell to the floor, still twitching.

                “Too high again.” Neji muttered tersely.

                “Don’t beat yourself up over it.”  Green Arrow patted him on the back.

                Turning to glare at the archer, Neji responded.  “Don’t patronize me.  This level of ineptitude is unacceptable.”

                “This sort of thing takes practice.”  The other reminded him.  “I had to be stranded on an island for a couple months before I got the hang of it, and then it was only because my life depended on bringing food down.”

                “Indeed?  And did you use stun arrows?” grumbled Neji, arching an eyebrow at him.

                “You almost killed that bystander when I let you use the pointy ones.”  Green Arrow pointed out.  “Not killing people takes more skill than dropping them dead, most times.  Until you’re there, I’m not comfortable letting you use anything but the stun ones.”

                “This entire exercise is pointless.”  Neji groused.  “In the time it takes me to miss, I could have leapt down there an incapacitated the criminal with a few short blows.”

                “Not without alerting him to your presence.  He would have taken the shopkeeper hostage and then where would you be?”  As Neji started to respond he cut him off.  “And DON’T say the kunai to the head again.  That’s not an option here.”

                Neji subsided with a frown.  “It IS an option.”  He muttered.  “You just choose not to take it.”

                “No.”  Green Arrow glared back.  “Because we’re not gods, and we don’t choose who lives and who dies.  That’s the state’s job, and much as I distrust them, the point stands that as private citizens, we’re not authorized to make that call.”  He shot a line onto the nearest building and swung off the ledge.  Neji, still looking vaguely annoyed, swung after him.

                “Tell me,” asked Neji as they landed.  “Why ARE you all private citizens?  Superman, perhaps, I understand, as his power renders him a dangerous asset to any nation, but one such as you… you could be an effective soldier, or even policeman, with your talent set.”

                Arrow snorted.  “Can you see me taking orders?  Don’t get me wrong, cops are great and all, but in the end they just serve the wealthy and the powerful.”

                “I… was under the impression you were wealthy.  And powerful.”

                “Yes, but I try not to let that stop me from helping people.”  Arrow’s face twisted in a smirk.  “Look, my skill set is a bit beyond even soldier’s work, okay?  I went out into the open, you’d have the CIA manipulating me into joining black ops teams before I could blink.”

                Neji blinked.  “And that is… a problem?”

                “Damn right it’s a problem!  Again, you see me taking orders?  Especially from a bunch of bigwig fatcats who were put in their positions by dirty corporations looking to profit from making trouble over the world?”  Arrow shook his head.  “The government’s just a tool, man.  Slave of the military-industrial complex.”

                Neji glanced at him.  “As far as I can see, the only real difficulty here is your inability to recognize authority.  After all, you have called my home dimension a military dictatorship, which I suppose would make me a slave of them, yet I can’t say I see the problem.”

                Arrow looked at him, with an almost sad expression.  “You would, wouldn’t you.”  He sighed.  “Damnit, kid, your world must be always fighting.”

                “And this one isn’t?”

                “Exactly.”

               

* * *

 

                “You definitely are getting better at this, Mr. Nara.”

                “High praise, coming from a god like yourself.”  Shikamaru replied lazily.  Inside, he was doing a little victory dance—evil maniac or no, a compliment from a chess player like Luthor WAS thrilling—but he maintained his façade.  “By the way, where have you been for the past week or so?  Getting bored with our little games?”

                Luthor’s mouth tensed slightly, a detail Shikamaru reveled in.  “Hardly, Mr. Nara,” smiled the man.  “I was merely distracted by a small piece of business which required a bit of attention.”

                “A small piece of business took you a week?  Sheesh.  My dad works faster than that.  I mean, I guess I don’t know what kind of business it was, but I’d think for a god…”

                “I lost something.”  Luthor moved his piece a shade more hastily than he usually did.  “For a moment, I felt your friend Sasuke, but by the time I got there he had already gone.”

                “What, with your instantaneous teleportation mumbo-jumbo?”  Shikamaru studied the pieces.  Sasuke, eh?  Probably he should be studying the conversation more closely, but this game was just so dang interesting.  A part of him hopefully suggested he might even win it.

                “Are you going to move?”

                Shikamaru grunted with annoyance.  “You know, I’m surprised you lost him so easily.  I thought it was important for you to get this Sasuke guy.”

                “It IS important!”  Luthor snapped suddenly.  “He is the key to my true godhood!  He is…”  With an effort he controlled himself.  “I DID teleport there, immediately upon feeling his presence.  But something… slowed me down.”  Luthor mouth curved in a vicious frown.  “There was some interference, some… blocking of my powers.  Presumably, the same thing that is now HIDING his presence from me!”

                Shikamaru sighed and cast his eyes heavenward, trying not to look at Luthor.  “So let me get this straight.  You lost your keys to godhood, thought you found them, went to get them but got tripped up on the way and now can’t find them anymore.”

                “I WILL find him!  I know where he is!  He is in Jump City.  My agents are all over that city, it is only a matter of time before…”

                “Agents.  Time.”  Shikamaru yawned.  “Listen to yourself.  Not only can you not find your keys, you need to get other people to find them for you.  AND you aren’t sure how long you should take about it.  You know, at times I really have a hard time remembering why I should help you.”

                Luthor’s brow was a furrowed field of fury.  “Then perhaps, Mr. Nara…” he hissed, withdrawing a remote from his coat,  “…I ought to remind you.”

                Once again the electric energies tore through Shikamaru, seizing up his muscles, burning away at his nerve endings.  But even through the cacophony of pain, he felt a small part of him chuckling.

                _He’s cracking._


	23. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luthor decides to test out one of his Curse-Seal clones, and Shino and the Atom get caught in the trap. Meanwhile, Sakura finally apologizes to Naruto, as the League discusses what to do with the ninjas.

 

                “Well, this is new,” commented Shikamaru from his prone position on the stretcher.  “What’s the occasion, Luthor?  Usually you guys drug me when you move me to a new cell.”

                “You’re not going to a new cell, Mr. Nara.”  Luthor walked at a brisk pace just astride him.  The two orderlies and four guards accompanying Shikamaru’s  stretcher down the hall struggled to keep up with him.  “This is a field trip of sorts.  I think there’s something you ought to see.”

                “Oh?”  Shikamaru hadn’t bothered testing the restraints on the stretcher.  After all, Luthor would surely notice any attempt he made, and almost certainly the man wasn’t stupid enough to settle for anything less than the strongest bands.

                “Indeed.  It occurred to me, Mr. Nara, that you perhaps do not realize the full magnitude of what you are caught up in.  After all, you have been held in a small white room since your arrival in this world.  I thought, perhaps if you gained some insight into the broader picture, it might give you some… perspective.”

                “Ah.  I see.”  Shikamaru carefully kept the smug look from his face.  Showing off.  I’ve rankled his pride, and now he wants to impress me.  Maybe even make me afraid of him again.  Whatever he does, this is definitely going to be useful.

                “Somehow, I doubt you really do understand, Mr. Nara.”  There was the whoosh  of a door and Luthor preceded the caravan into a slightly darkened room.  Shikamaru could see little while lying straight back, but there were a great many beeping sounds and flickering blue lights played across the ceiling.  “However, hopefully by the end of this exercise you will.”  Luthor gestured to one of the orderlies.  “Let him see.”

                The orderly fiddled with the controls on the stretcher, and Shikamaru’s helpless body went from horizontal to vertical in one smooth motion.  Blinking in the sudden light, he took in his surroundings.

                Clearly, he was in a control room of some kind.  Computers of all sorts filled the room, lining the walls and flickering in the air.  Through the smoked glass in the front of the room, he could see that they were in some sort of balcony, above a larger room filled with even more computers, arranged in tier-like rows before a massive screen that filled the whole of the opposite wall.

                All this was remarkable enough (Computers were singularly rare in Konoha, and Shikamaru had maybe seen all of three in his life), but at the moment Shikamaru’s attention was taken by the red-haired figure standing demurely before him.

                “Karin?”

                “Ah, you know my new assistant.”  Luthor moved back into his field of vision.  “Unlike you, she has proved most cooperative, even putting her specific talents to work for us.  She is here because it is precisely her work that is under examination in today’s demonstration.  I have no fears though…” Luthor patted Karin on the neck.  “…she seems to be a most capable scientist.”

                Shikamaru didn’t answer.  Karin’s wide, darting eyes and shallow breath spoke volumes about her state of mind, and she hadn’t been quite able to suppress the shudder that accompanied Luthor’s neck-pat.  From what Shikamaru knew of the man, he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d done that deliberately.

                “Well, my dear…”  and Shikamaru KNEW that was deliberate, “…are we ready to begin?”

                Karin swallowed.  “Y-y-yes Luthor-sama.  Test-subject 39 is in position and awaiting our orders.  Surveillence units are standing by with live video feed.”  Turning, she pressed a few switches and the main screen flooded into life.

                Shikamaru had never seen the world outside this room.  His brain worked feverishly to make sense of the images on the screen.  Massive buildings… of glass?  Steel?  Those things on the road… probably a transportation device, but so FAST.  And the air was filled with a sort of queer jabbering noise…

                “Impressive, Mr. Nara, hmm?”  Shikamaru realized to his chagrin that he’d let his amazement show.  Luthor was smiling a predatory smile.  “But I see the language confuses you.  Perhaps now is a good time to teach you English.”

                The next thing, more than anything else in Luthor’s base, terrified Shikamaru to the end of his days.  Luthor waved a hand (Shikamaru sensed purely for dramatic effect), and instantly he felt the contents of his brain re-arranging, shifting, adding new thought patterns, words, sentiments… all in his BRAIN.

                Shikamaru’s brain was more than his secret weapon.  It was his life, his shelter, his fortress.  When the clouds drifted by and Shikamaru enjoyed moments of solitude, those moments were spent in his mind.  He’d always loved the ability to draw into himself, to completely hide in his own thoughts.  His body they could hurt—that was always secondary.  His mind, though, that was invincible.

                Except perhaps for Yamanakas.  But the Naras had always had good relations with the Yamanakas.

                But now someone was IN his mind, shaping his mind, rearranging thoughts and memories as he saw fit.  For one horrified instant Shikamaru saw his doom looming, a future as a vegetable or some kind of mind-slave…

                “And now that we have accomplished that, Mr. Nara…” said a smiling Luthor, clearly enjoying Shikamaru’s panic-stricken face, “…perhaps we can proceed to the main business of the day.”  He turned.  “When you’re ready, Miss Karin.”

                Swallowing, Karin nodded and turned to the control panel.  “Begin field testing procedures!”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Don’ shovel down your food like that, Hamish,” observed a man to his energetic companion.  “You’ll choke on it.”

                Another man, on the other side of Sasuke,  chortled at this.  “If he don’t chuck it up first.  This food is the most godawful crap they’ve had here yet.”

                “Food’s food.”  Hamish said.  Or at least he meant to say.  The vast quantity of food in his mouth made it come out something more like: “F’ud’s f’ud.”  Swallowing, he grabbed a quick drink from his cup and continued shoveling in biscuits and keesh.  “Uo’m troou’n to g’t out oofore eh rock da door.”

                The first man—Mark, Sasuke remembered now—snorted at this.  “Oh, c’mon Hamish.  It ain’t gonna hurt you to listen to a lecture once in your life, now is it?”

                “Nou pwoubwem wid wec’ures.  Us ou-VONG-ou-wizing Ou’m oufw’oud of.”

                “Heh.  Hear that, Sauce?”  Mark grinned over at Sasuke.  “Hamish here is afraid of evangelizing!”

                “That’s new.”  Sasuke commented drily, picking at his own plate.  He had to agree with the others, this food WAS awful.  But on the other hand, he also had to agree with Hamish.  Food was food.  And as far as homeless shelters went, this food was about as good as it got.

                Sasuke could, of course, AFFORD food now.    His coat was weighed down with a days worth of begging, as well as the fees collected from various beggars for protecting them from other ‘protectors.’  And that wasn’t even counting the cash stowed away under the bridge.  No, Sasuke was quite affluent right now.  He could probably pay for a food AND a room if he wanted to.

                But why bother paying for something people would give you for free?   He’d subsisted on these homeless shelter places for a week or so after he’d been released, and he saw no reason to quit going to them now.  Especially when the money he saved meant more money toward a real firearm.

                “Enjoy your meals, everyone!”   the call echoed across the cafeteria.

                “Oou cwup.”  Hamish, mouth still full, leapt from the table and sped toward the exit, bidding a hasty, “Fee ya.”

                Mark shook his head at the fleeing figure.  “Too late, I fancy.  I’d say they locked the doors already, wouldn’t you, Greg?”

                “Oh yes.”  Greg, the man just across from Sasuke, nodded amiably.  “That sounded like a very definite ‘enjoy your meals’ to me.”

                The lack of chakra was beginning to bother Sasuke.  True, he’d adapted to the loss rather well, but he’d always considered it to be a temporary loss.   A solid month or so without any of his former abilities and a few weeks of finding NO trace of the strange man who’d taken them away, had started a horrible suspicion growing in Sasuke’s mind.  If he couldn’t get some kind of lead soon, he might have to face facts and adopt a more long-term strategy.

                “How’d that job you’d apply for go, Greg?”

                “The one at the library?”  Greg sighed.  “Oh… you know how it is.  It doesn’t matter how many college degrees you have, as soon as they catch on to that drunk driving conviction you had when you were seventeen, the interview’s all but over.”

                No matter.  Whatever his weaknesses now, he was still Uchiha Sasuke, avenger, and no strange man in a green coat was going to stop him.  He WOULD find a way back to Konoha and he WOULD find a way to punish those responsible for killing his brother and he WOULD make sure people remembered the Uchiha clan as never before.

                “That little business with the embezzlement at the medical firm might have turned them off, too.”

                “Oh, possibly.”

                It was simply a matter of prioritizing.  The first matter, of course, was to get a gun, but after that…  How was he to return to Konoha?  That was definitely a prickly problem.  After all, without a working Sharingan he would never be able to reproduce Kakashi’s jutsu.

                Hamish slunk back to his seat.  “Guess I’m stuck here, then.”

                “Guess so.”  Mark slapped the disconsolate man on the back.  “Cheer up.  You’ve still got us.”

                Perhaps he could do something with his former comrades.  They were all over the news lately… Metropolis, Oregon, Thailand, Sri Lanka.  Apparently they had formed some sort of alliance with these ‘supers’ that seemed to populate this world.  They were probably working on a way of their own.

                “Yay.”  Hamish slumped.  “Now we can all suffer together.  Reminds me of my childhood.”

                Mark threw the man a puzzled glance.  “I thought you was an orphan.”

                “Exactly.  Ever lived in an orphanage?”

                Unfortunately, their alliance with the ‘supers’ would make any kind of move on them rather difficult.  And to be honest, Sasuke did not relish a rematch with his ex-teammates, at least not in his weakened state.  No, this would require subterfuge.

                “Nope.  Never had that experience.”

                “Nothing worse than being an orphan in a cruddy orphanage, not even knowing who your folks were.”

                “Well...”  Mark shrugged.  “…what about having them killed horrifically in front of you when you’re ten?”

                Hamish stopped and looked at Mark.  “That happened to you?”

                “Nah.  Just a thought.”

                Subterfuge would not be easy either.  Most of the supers were very alert, and from what he had heard of this Watchtower place, breaking into it would be no picnic.  Not for the first time, Sasuke wished he had his team back.  At the very least, they could have provided an efficient distraction.

                “Oh… well, it don’t account anyhow.  That case, at least you know your parents loved you and all.  Tell you what, you get found in a dumpster by the local ragbag, that sort of thing plays issues with you.”

                “Oh, now THAT I can tell just by looking at you, Hamish.”

                There was only one thing for it.  He needed help.  Big help.  Super help, the kind his former classmates had.  But as to how and where to get it, that was still a mystery.

                “Lemme tell you something, when my second wife died, that wasn’t no picnic neither.  Times come I wish I never married her, it gets so bad.”

                “Still… better to have loved and lost than never loved at all, hey?”

                “Try it sometime.”

                “You know ain’t no woman gonna come within five miles of me these days, not without fifty bucks right off the top.  ‘Sides, I try that, you need to try getting born without knowing your parents.”

                “Oh, come ON.  How exactly am I supposed to try that?”

                “Exactly.”

                Even finding such help could be dangerous.  These illegal metas were notoriously treacherous, and certainly wouldn’t take kindly to being ordered around by him, in his state.  No, he’d have to be sneaky.

                “Hey, Sauce.  What’s your take on this?  Which is worse, being an orphan or being a widower?”

                “Yes,” answered Sasuke abstractedly, wondering once again how they’d chosen the nickname ‘Hot Sauce’ for him.

                “Wha—oh, come on, man, you need to give us more than that.”

                Probably had something to do with the tomatoes he bought all the time.

                “Listen this time.  Which is worse, being an orphan, or…”  The high-pitched whine of a tuning microphone cut him off.  “…oh, forget it.  They got a preacher on now.”

                Sasuke nodded absently.  The food charities, or at least this one, usually insisted they listen to an inspirational speaker in exchange for eating their food.  Sasuke didn’t mind much either way, he was experienced in ignoring people.

                This time, however, he spared the stage a glance, and when he saw the bespectacled man in the turtleneck sweater, he started to laugh.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Taking orders from a man infinitesimally smaller than he was a somewhat novel experience, and Shino could not quite reconcile his feelings on the subject.  On the one hand, this ‘Atom’ fellow certainly seemed to be experienced, and could provide many valuable insights.  On the other hand, he knew precious little about kunai or smoke pellets or any of the other weapons in a ninja’s arsenal.  He had an acquaintance with martial arts, to be sure, but Shino’s sessions with Batman had rendered that somewhat redundant.  Mostly, the man was useful for his knowledge of Justice League protocols, which Shino had to acknowledge were important details to recall in light of their new relationship with their erstwhile allies.

                Of course, the man’s familiarity with insects was also helpful.

                “Was during the early days of developing my device,” explained Atom conversationally, from a location by Shino’s ear.  Back then, I could only go down to ant size, so I spent a while exploring the ant farms in my lab and such.  That was when I got my first taste of microscopic warfare, was battling those soldier ants.”  Atom laughed, a quiet, tinny laugh.  “You know, for a while I thought about making an ant-controlling helmet and going to fight as ‘Ant-Man’ or something, but then I figured no one would take me seriously.”

                “Oh?  Why is that?”  Shino did not pause, continuing his leaps from building to building, eyes darting back and forth across the streets below.

                “Well… it’d just be ridiculous.  You know… ANT-Man.”  Atom burst into another tinny laugh.

                Shino thought about it for a moment.  “No, I must say the humor is lost on me.”

                “Yeah, I suppose I should’ve guessed.”  Atom sighed.  “Anyway, looking back, it wouldn’t have been a bad trick, learning how to control ants.  Ants go everywhere, after all, they could probably tell me just about anything.  And they can build things too, mine, do all sorts of amazing stuff.”  Atom nodded.  “Be like having your own miniature civilization, I suppose.”

                “Indeed.”  Shino nodded.  Atom had, in fact, rather opened his mind about various unorthodox ways of using insects.  He viewed them as more individual soldiers than the hive collective that most Aburame saw them as.  Individual insects, specially trained, Atom had said, could be dreadfully efficient.

                “Of course, feeding the things would be a bugger, and to even design a helmet like that you’d need to…”  Atom broke off in mid-sentence.  “Bank robber, three o’clock!”

                Shino nodded and changed course immediately.  Spotting misdemeanors was becoming easier for him, but Atom still tended to catch more.  Shino wondered why… the man couldn’t go on patrol very often, in his state.

                There was a masked man running out of the bank, a weathered backpack clutched in his left hand, an oversized revolver in his right.  People everywhere were pointing and screaming, but strangely enough, there were no police cars on the scene.  Shino simply jumped onto the bank roof and took chase.

                A few minutes later, he frowned.  “This is odd.”

                “That guy’s gotta be running fifteen miles an hour.”  Atom sounded suspicious.  “That’s not normal.”

                “No.  Nor is his linear escape pattern.  He’s made no attempt to avoid me, and he’s glanced directly at me several times.  Combined with his incredibly obvious bank robber’s outfit, I can’t help but wonder…”

                “We’re catching up now.  Stop him before he gets to that chemical plant up the street, we’ll never find him once he gets in there.”

                Shino gave a short nod and put on an extra burst of speed.  He somersaulted easily over the man’s head and landed right before him in the street.  “I am apprehending you in the name of the law for the crime of bank robbery.”  He intoned.  “Why?  Because your highly suspicious behavior outside a bank leads me to believe you are one.  I shall investigate later to verify this.”

                Shino didn’t really understand the League’s protocols.

                “Kindly drop your revolver and hand me the bag, then lie on the ground, hands spread, or I shall be compelled to resort to force.”  Shino indicated his kunai.

                Grinning, the man dropped his revolver, then tossed the bag forward.

                Something about the way he tossed it… that low underhand, the way it jostled slightly as he did, the way he whipped his arm away from it as if it were on fire, the step backward he made… gave Shino just enough warning to dodge away from the bag and cover his head.

                BOOM!

                Shino felt dust and debris glance against his hands.  As the smoke faded, he looked up to see a lone scrap of khaki float toward the crater-baked earth, the spot he had just been standing on.

                “Clever, Mr. Ninja,” smirked the bank robber, pulling off his mask.  “But suppose we stop the games and put this to a real test, eh?”

                Shino’s eyebrows shot upwards as black curse marks began to spread across the man’s face.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Well done.  Perhaps next time we can do this on a real one.”

                Sakura glanced over at her teacher as she pulled the gloves from her hands.  “You can find a real one?  Just like that?”

                “There are more people in need of brain surgeries than there are brain surgeons,” shrugged Terrific, studying the clone brain they had been working on.  “It would simply be a matter of matching you with something suitable.”  With a final nod, he glanced back up.  “If your work on this is any indication, it should be no trouble at all.  To be honest, I’m rather amazed at your progress.  Most people can take over nine years to get to this stage. ”

                Sakura felt a glow of pride run through her and tried to suppress it.  “I was the chief medic back in Konoha.”  She mumbled.

                “And you did this sort of thing?”

                “Well… no.”  They didn’t even THINK about this sort of thing back in Konoha.  Brains were brains, if a ninja’s mind was gone then there was no bringing it back.  Frankly, Sakura was amazed at the amount of time and effort that had gone into it on this world.

                “Well, it’s about time I managed to find something new for you, then.”  Terrific moved away.  “Heart surgery, bone repair, physical therapy… you even got the basics of prosthetic attachment after a few days, and we have a VERY intensive course on that.”

                “Tenten helped.”  Sakura didn’t mention that she’d spent some time in Suna—the leading village for puppetry and its related field, prosthetics.

                “Nonetheless, the point stands that you’ve picked up a startling amount.”  Terrific turned back to the computer panel.  “I’m almost a little embarrassed, as I seem to be coming out shamefully far ahead on our deal.  Dr. Midnite should be teaching you this kind of thing, in all reality.”

                Sakura shrugged as she tugged the hairnet off and shook her hair out.  “It’s just chakra I’m telling you about.  Any one of the ninjas could give you information on it.  Besides, you guys can’t use it at all, so I don’t really see how it helps you.”

                “It is information, and information is always helpful,” answered Terrific, rather distractedly, still tapping away at the keyboard. 

                With a sigh, Sakura dumped her gloves in the waste basket and began to wash her hands.  “Well, thanks in any case.  I suppose I ought to get up to the sparring rooms and see if Shayera is available.”

                “Hawkgirl will most likely be busy.”  Terrific answered.  “There’s a rather important conference scheduled in a few minutes.  I need to get ready for it myself, actually,” added he, glancing at the clock.  “But a number of your teammates are sparring.  You can perhaps try your skills against one of them.”

                Sakura paused, letting the water pour over her hands unheeded.  “Is… Naruto there?”

                Back still turned to Sakura, Terrific gave a small nod, as if he’d expected the question.  “I think so.  Superman will be at the meeting, so he has little else to do.”

                “Hm.”  With the air of sudden decision, Sakura reached up and snapped the water off, before ripping free a paper towel to dry her hands.  “I’d… better not.  I don’t think I’d be very… welcome.”

                Terrific still did not turn around.  He didn’t need to, a security camera fed him the exact expression on Sakura’s face.  “Why not?”  he asked, carefully moderating his tone.

                “None of your business!”  Sakura snapped.

                Terrific simply gave a gentle nod and waited.

                Slowly, Sakura’s drying stopped.  She balled it up in listless, thoughtful motions, and stared at it for a moment before giving it a half-hearted toss toward the wastebasket.  It bounced off the wall and tumbled to the floor.  For a moment, she simply stood there, staring at the wall.  Terrific just waited.

                Finally she heaved a sigh.  “It’s… I shouldn’t have left him behind when we went to Gotham.  It’s… very important to him that he get to fight Sasuke and… I took that away from him.”

                “But he fought Sasuke anyway.  And surely, you can’t delay a crucial operation just because the person who wants to be there isn’t,” replied Terrific.

                “No, but…”  Sakura sighed and passed a hand through her hair.  “It’s not just that.  It’s the second—well, almost the third—time I’ve done this to him.”

                Finally Terrific swiveled in his chair to study her.  “Oh?”

                “I… the time when we got teleported here… that was one time.  We deliberately left without telling Naruto.  Shikamaru said he was too close to the target, it wouldn’t work.  And Naruto doesn’t want to kill Sasuke.  He thinks he can still be redeemed.”

                “And you don’t.”

                “I don’t know what I think.”  Sakura gave an irritable shake of her head as she half-sat on the counter.  “But I know Sasuke has killed a lot of people, and could conceivably cause a major war if he’s not stopped.  Even if he can be brought back…”  Sakura swallowed and glanced at the other wall.  “…that’s not a risk we can afford to take.”

                “Hm.”  Terrific nodded.  “Still, from your description, that was more your Shikamaru’s decision than yours.  And that’s only two incidents.”

                A wince crossed Sakura’s face.  “The other was… painful.”

                Another, almost longer, silence followed this comment.  Terrific didn’t even glance at the clock, he knew this was important.

                “When we… that is, we others… decided Sasuke had to be killed, someone still had to break the news to Naruto.  Naruto was out of the village at the time, trying to talk the Raikage into pardoning Sasuke.  I… volunteered, saying he’d take it better from me.”

                Sakura feel silent a moment and gazed at the floor.   “I wasn’t… being very honest.”  She admitted.  “It’d… I’d been through a lot just recently and Naruto had nearly died and I’d realized how much pain I’d been putting him through and I…”  Again she sighed.  “…I… decided I should kill Sasuke.  Myself.  And somehow get Naruto to forget about him.”

                Terrific raised an eyebrow and Sakura hurried to explain.  “You see… when Sasuke first… went away, I made Naruto promise to bring him back.  Naruto cares a lot about his promises.  I thought that if I got Naruto to believe that I didn’t… care for Sasuke anymore, he’d be freed from his promise and… give up on Sasuke.”  She swallowed.  “So I… told Naruto I loved him.”

                Terrific’s other eyebrow shot up.  He studied her.  “And… did you?”

                “I… I don’t know.”  Clearly frustrated, Sakura passed a hand through her hair and threw her head back to gaze at the ceiling.  “I mean, he’s been in love with me since forever and he’s a great guy and…”   She shook her head.  “Anyway, that wasn’t really the point then.  I was… trying to distract him, really.  I mean, partly I felt sorry for him, but mostly I just said it to throw him off balance.”  A sigh heaved out of her.  “And that… no guy deserves that sort of thing.”

                Terrific said nothing.  His face was carefully neutral.

                “He saw through it and… called me out on it.  We yelled a bit, then I ran off, ditched the others, and tried to get to Sasuke.”  A shaky laugh broke from her frame.  “And then all that turned out to be worthless, because by the time I finally found him, he and the others were already warping out.  The only thing left was Danzou’s body.  I just kinda sat there in shock until Kakashi-sensei and Naruto showed up.”  She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the tears burning through her eyelids.  “All my betrayals, all my trickery, and it turned out for nothing.”

                “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  Terrific nodded.

                Sakura stared at him for a moment, then nodded slowly as the phrase sunk in.  “Yeah.  That’s sure where I ended up.”

                For a moment the two sat in silence.  Then Terrific sighed at straightened up.  “Have you talked to Naruto about this?”

                Sakura looked at him.  “Are you crazy?”

                “I’m not terribly familiar with Naruto, but he doesn’t seem like the type to hold a grudge.”  Terrific shrugged.  “In any case, he’s certainly more one for the direct approach.”

                “You’d be surprised.  Naruto hides more than you’d think.”  Sakura gave a sad little smile.  “And with me, he’s never really…”  She stopped.  “Well, okay, I guess he usually IS pretty direct with me.  Asking me out for dates and such…”

                “He’s been taken with you for some time, then?”

                “Sorta… yeah.  He’s been asking me out since we got assigned together.  Sai’s pretty sure he’s deeply in love with me.”

                “And you?”

                Sakura sighed again.  “I… I don’t know.  I really don’t know.  I mean, by all rights, I ought to.  I know that much.  He’s sweet, and he’s diligent, and faithful, and hardworking and powerful and… all sorts of things.  Lots of girls would be lucky to get a guy like him.  And he’s done so much for me.”

                “But…?”  Terrific suggested.

                “But… I don’t know.  For some reason I just… I can’t quite let go of Sasuke.  It doesn’t make sense, the guy’s nearly killed me several times, but there it is.  And as much as I know how… great a guy Naruto is, I just… I look at him and I still see the little goofy kid who was in my genin team.”

                Terrific gave a little nod.  “There’s an old Jewish legend—part of the Kaballa tradition, I believe—that tells of the first man and the first—well, actually the second woman.  It’s said that the woman was created in front of the man, beginning with the bones, moving on to the organs, musculature, and finally skin.”  Terrific smiled at Sakura.  “As a medic, you must appreciate what that must have been like.  When the woman was finally complete, the first man rejected her, because he knew her too well.  He’d seen her from the inside out, and it disgusted him.  So the woman left, and the god made another woman… this time, while the first man was asleep.”

                Sakura was frowning.  “Okay… so… I don’t think I follow you.”

"The point was that knowing someone completely can at times be a block to romantic attraction."  Terrific said.  "Toward... starting one, anyway.  Falling in love sometimes requires a certain mystique, a distance.  Of course, deeper intimacy, TRUE love generally comes from knowing a loved one, flaws and all, so perhaps the distinction is a false one."

Sakura still frowned.  "I still don't see the connection between me and Naruto."

                “No?”  Terrific shrugged.  “I suppose it doesn’t really address your problem about talking to Naruto anyway.  If I were you, I should talk to him about it soon.  It’s been a month, so he should have cooled off about it.  But this thing is going to keep causing problems between you two until you talk it over and get a better idea of each other.”  Standing up, he gave a tired little smile to Sakura.  “And trust me, you’ll feel better once it’s over.”

                A trace of a grin flickered over Sakura’s face.  “Like a shot?”

                “More like setting a dislocated shoulder...”  Terrific mused, moving toward the door, “…but yes, a shot is a good example.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “You mean we are unable to communicate with headquarters?”  Shino blocked a lightning-fast jab from his opponent.

                “Our communicators are shot!  Must be a jammer of some kind in the area.”  Atom shouted in his ear.  “Look, you need help!  Let me get up to normal size and…”

                “No!  This man is using curse-seal techniques!”  Ducking, Shino shot out a leg, only to have the man weave away from it.  “They are attacks you are unfamiliar with!”

                “Fine then!  But at least get me onto him so I can start messing with his systems!”

                With barely a nod, Shino sent out a wave of kikai bugs.  One scooped up Atom, flying toward the mystery assailant.  With any luck, Atom would be able to guide it to a landing, where he could do… whatever he did.

                Shino was now free from distractions.  Whipping away from the man’s left hook, he leapt upwards to the wall of the nearest building, standing there just long enough to unleash a horde of insects before jumping across to the other wall.

                Something puzzled him about the man.  The man had chakra, the curse seal made that obvious at least, but he wasn’t USING it at all.  The only noticeable effect was the enhanced speed and strength.  He wasn’t even following Shino up the walls, although he did seem to be lifting…

                Shino ducked sideways and narrowly avoided getting crushed by a bolder.  Rolling away from the next attack, he dodged right and began to run down the building.  League protocol was to avoid unnecessary damage to civilian property, and Shino felt relatively certain boulders through windows was included in that.

                Without much hope, Shino threw two kunai, only to see them get effortlessly deflected.  He could see, just over the man’s shoulder, his kikai bugs eating away, but with the level of chakra the man was putting out, that wasn’t going to break anyone anytime soon.  He needed something new.

                There was a sudden whooshing noise, and the man was right next to him.  Shino nearly fell over, caught himself, whipped around and caught the man in the stomach.  It didn’t have much effect, but then Shino hadn’t had much time to think about it.  He just barely managed to sidestep the first and second blows, but the third caught him off-guard, and he went crashing backwards.

                The man was at his side before Shino could get up, but Shino HAD been expecting that and came up legs first.  The sudden kick caught the man by surprise and Shino used the moment to crack open a smoke pellet.

                Five seconds later, as the smoke cleared away, he crouched, breathing as quietly as possible, behind a handy dumpster.  The dumpster had simply been the nearest hideaway, but the manner in which the man was sniffing the air told him it might have been the best one.

                He considered his options.  The bugs were having no effect.  His taijutsu knowledge was woefully insufficient to match the other’s speed and strength.  His only weapons were a pair of, yes, silly, hiltless knives.  He was forced to agree with the Bumblebee girl, they DID seem rather useless right now.

                Still.  A good ninja must always be prepared to improvise.  Quickly he went through his pouches.  Ninja wire, kunai, smoke pellets.  And a few insect-related tools that only Shino carried.  All in all, not a great deal to work with. 

                Shino considered his options momentarily and then held out his sleeves.  Two swarms of bugs shot out, one dispersing into the air, the other coiling by him for a moment before accepting the item he gave them.  Then he held up his fingers in a seal.

                “Hah!”  Delight shone in the man’s face as Shino stepped away from the dumpster.  “I’ve got you now, you little pest!  Finally decided to come out and fight, have you?  Last mistake you’ll ever make!”  He shot at Shino, fist reared back in readiness.

                Shino weaved away from the punch, came back with another, sliced a kunai across the man’s cheek, and finally aimed a kick at the man before the other’s fist punched straight through his chest.

                At which point, Shino smiled and exploded into bugs.

                The man had barely enough time to turn and face the real Shino’s kunai thrust.  He blocked it and again launched into his attack, but found it hard… the bugs were flying, flying, all around him.  They did weird little dances before his eyes and nimbly dodged around his attacks at swatting.   It was difficult to concentrate.

                Shino smiled as he danced around the man’s now-clumsy blows.  That evened the playing field considerably.  He still felt slightly confused as to where ‘acceptable use of force’ began and ended, but in his mind, he didn’t feel he had to worry about that with this one.  His twin kunais darted in and out, slashing a leg there, a palm there, narrowly missing the chest there… oh, WHY wouldn’t they let him go for the throat?

                A new buzzing filled the air as one of Shino’s old swarms returned to him.  With a nod to himself, Shino leapt away, allowing the attacker a few moments more of confusion before recalling the swarm about his head.

                The man shook his suddenly-clear head and focused on Shino, now standing several feet down a nearby alleyway.  “Get back here!”  He shouted, charging forward.

                He was halfway down the alleyway when he ran into the ninja wire running across the alleyway.

                Shino leapt on the man as he tumbled earthward, pummeling his head for all he was worth.  If he remembered the details of these curse seals correctly, he’d need to incapacitate this man quickly before…

                The blackness was spreading, consuming all the skin on the man’s neck. 

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “So… all this weaponry… and you only know how to use pistols?”

                Vigilante rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.  “We-e-e-ell now, little lady, I wouldn’t say ONLY know.  I mean, I know how to use your standard issue hunting rifle and machine gun and what-not, and I reckon I could work a rocket launcher if push come to shove.   And heck, ain’t much to throwing grenades, right?”  He chuckled, completely missing the look on Tenten’s face.  “But with my twin pair of revolvers here… baby, it’s like a man and his dog.  No, more’n that.  It’s like a whole new part of me.  I jest don’t feel comfortable without them.”

                “What, do you sleep with the things?”

                “Of course not!  What kinda question is that for a girl like you to ask?”

                Tenten sighed inwardly.  This man reminded her a little too much of Kakashi.  Most of the face covered by a mask (red bandanna, in this case), and a laid-back attitude that would get on anyone’s nerves.  Not just the attitude, but the names.  ‘Girl like you’ was suitably vague, and ‘little lady’ only somewhat annoying, and ‘baby…’  Well, she’d overlook ‘baby.’  This once.  But if he called her something infantile like ‘little Miss Prickle Pants,’ this guy was seriously going to get a taste of exactly WHAT she could do with the revolver she was currently holding.  Or the mechanical arm.  Tenten hadn’t really had a chance to try it out yet, and she really wondered what it could do at a close range like this.

                “Anyway.  From the sounds of things, ya got Nemesis and Steel helping you out with these firearms too, so you shouldn’t be grieving too much.”  Vigilante twirled his pistol around his finger expertly.  “Iffen what I saw today is any indication, I ain’t so sure you’re going to be needing the help.”

                “But I don’t know ANY of these weapons!”  Technically not true.  She had fired some, or at least variations of them, in Luthor’s base.  At the same time, though, her knowledge of them was imperfect, and the finer subtleties of each weapon was lost on her.

                Take pistols.  Tenten had not quite considered the ballistics (having bullets and barrels added a whole new dimension to the field) of revolvers and automatics.  But Vigilante had explained to her that although a revolver had less ammo, it was much more accurate.  He had also instructed her in the best way to load and unload each different type of gun, and drilled her to do it as fast as possible.

 Today, he had even arranged something called a ‘showdown’ as a kind of test.  Tenten couldn’t quite see the point—if the object was to kill the enemy, why not simply turn around before ‘three’ and fire?  Or supposing you didn’t, how were you to know the other wouldn’t?  Oh sure, you were supposed to have impartial judges, but after one of you was dead, who was going to care?

They had to talk Tenten through the ceremony five times before she got to ‘three’ without trying to kill Vigilante.

“Naw, you’re acquainted with them enough.”  Vigilante waved a hand airily.   “Enough to choose a favorite, anyway.  If I was you, I’d stop practicing with all of ‘em and just learn one in particular.  Learn it _real_ good.”

Tenten cocked an eye at the man as she once again raised her pistol at the target.  “But surely you should try to learn all the weapons equally?  A warrior must be proficient in all weapons, surely.”  She closed an eye and fired.

“Mebbe.”  Vigilante shrugged, amidst the _bangs_ of the gun.   “But you ain’t gonna be carrying an arsenal out with you everytime you go fighting, girl.  Best to practice most at the weapon you’re liable to use most.”

“But learning the weapons equally allows you greater flexibility.”  Tenten argued.  Her hands were already flying through the reload routine.  “Favoring a certain weapon makes you dependent on it, you might rely on pistols to accomplish a job more suited to, say, a flamethrower.”

“Helpful knowledge, if you don’t happen to have a flamethrower on you.”  Vigilante hit the switch that sent the target bouncing around the range.

Tenten narrowed her eyes in frustration as the erratically moving target averted her fire.  “Dangerous, if you do happen to have one and don’t know how to use it.”

“No, that’s no problem.  You just throw it away and use the thing you DO know how to use.”  One of Vigilante’s pistols whipped out, quick as sight, and _bang_.

Splinters of the target fell to the floor.

“You might not always have your favorite weapon.”  Tenten grumbled, setting up the range again.

“ _I_ do.”

Tenten just rolled her eyes and tried to focus on the flying target.  “Why’s the range so empty, anyway?”  She asked.  “For that matter, why is it so small?  This thing is barely the size of the holding cell they used for my practice at Luthor’s place.”

“League doesn’t see much need to enlarge a place barely anyone uses.”

“Anyone?”  Tenten frowned, a little puzzled.  “Don’t they need practice?”

“Sweetheart, you always need practice in this game.  No,” he continued, before Tenten could punch him for the ‘sweetheart’ line, “No, no one comes in here because no one at the League plays with these things.”

“What?”  Tenten forgot all about ‘sweetheart.’  “No one?  Why not?”

Vigilante shrugged.  “Not their style, I guess.  Course, some of ‘em, like Superman, don’t really NEED the dern things, and others, like Wonder Woman, are about five centuries out of date and see no reason to suddenly start learning things.  Of course, you get guys like Steel and STRIPES, who pretty much ARE walking guns but don’t shoot with them.”

“But… but…”  Tenten floundered, unable to understand why people wouldn’t WANT to use such wonderful things.  “But they… I mean, Neji’s training with that one guy… the one dressed all in green… with the arrows and stuff.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with him.  Batman neither, really.”  Vigilante frowned.  “I mean, they COULD use ‘em, I guess.  Even be a help to them.  They just don’t choose to.  Like I said.  Style.”

Tenten was disgusted with this logic.  “Style?  What does STYLE have to do with war?”

“War?  Nuthin.’  Superheroin’?  Near about everything.”  Vigilante leaned back against the wall.  “See, don’t get me wrong, everyone here is devoted to fighting crime and saving the world and all that jazz.  But they’re all also devoted to doing it THEIR way.  Oh, sure, Superman leads us, ‘cause EVERYONE wants to be like Superman, but mostly, we’re a bunch of individualists, out to fight on our own terms.”  He shrugged.  “And to be an individual, you got to have your own style.  Not much individuality in a feller who uses guns to fight crime, is there?  After all, any cop off the street does that.”

“That’s stupid!”

“We-e-e-elll now, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t, little lady.”  There was a strangely thoughtful look in Vigilante’s eyes.  “See, because of that, we’re more than crimefighers, we’re symbols.  Role models.  Kinda like celebrities, y’know, except smart.”

Tenten didn’t comment.

“We don’t really showboat, that’s more Booster Gold’s line of work.  But we do make a stir, and we do rile things up.  And we inspire people.  With STYLE.”  Eyes twinkling, the westerner spun the revolver around his finger madly.   “Another reason why not many heroes use guns, I reckon.  After all, guns are best at killing things.  It takes a lot of talent to be sure you can shoot someone and NOT kill them.  And heroes can’t kill.”

“That’s really stupid.”  Tenten, perhaps because she’d arrived last, was the most skeptical toward the League’s thou-shalt-not-kill-evildoers policy.

“Oh?”  Vigilante’s voice gained a new edge.  “Seems to me all you ninja kids get caught up in your own ‘style’ too.”

“Well, yeah, but that’s –“  Tenten stopped. _I am NOT going to get caught in the that’s-different-no-it-isn’t cycle_ , she told herself.  She settled for a half-retort.  “That’s just for contract jobs.”  Giving her hair a little toss, she added.  “We don’t dress that way if we’re going to WAR.  And we never dress in spandex.  Well… not most of us.”  She amended hastily.

Vigilante cocked an eyebrow.  “Baby, it might have escaped your notice, but **I** don’t wear spandex either.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                _Hm.  That is unsettling_.  Shino leapt away from the man as the curse-seal enveloped him.  He had rather hoped to avoid having to fight this level by knocking the man senseless immediately.  Unfortunately, that no longer appeared to be a viable option.

                The only real difference, if things stayed true to form, would be an incremental increase in speed and strength.  Chakra would increase too, naturally, but Shino did not think that would be an issue, he was pretty well convinced that the man had had NO ninja training.

                Even in the time it took him to think this, the man had flashed through the air and was rearing right alongside him.  Shino barely had time to brace for the blow before it sent him crashing back down to street level.  He managed to roll left in time to avoid the follow-up, but there was really nothing he could do about the fist that seized his jacket and threw him into the air.

                The air gave Shino a few moments to strategize, and his fingers flew in a seal.  “ _Mushi Kame no jutsu_!”

                A wall of insects formed around him as he touched ground.  The attacker’s fist was already smashing through, but Shino’s fingers were ready for him.  “ _Shunshin no jutsu_!”  He was gone in a swirl of bugs.

                Now he was behind a new dumpster, noticeably smaller than the earlier one.  It wouldn’t do for long… this monster wasn’t bothering with sniffing, he was simply tearing up everything in sight.  But hopefully, it would give him enough time to devise a more coherent strategy.

The bugs he’d placed on the man’s back at the beginning of the fight were still there, but from the looks of things, they’d be busy for a while.  He could, of course, employ the insect sphere and simply immerse the man in kikai bugs, but that would be too noticeable.  The man would simply shake them off before any real damage could be done.

Shino scratched his nose and thought for a moment.   This would be tricky.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Oh, good.  Terrific’s here.  Sit down, we were about to start without you.”

                “Sorry.”  Terrific folded into a chair.  “I was busy taking care of that teamwork issue that Batman mentioned.”

                Batman gave a short nod.  “You resolved it?”

                “Apparently there’s a lot more going on than you suspected.”  Terrific shook his head.  “It’s not the sort of thing you resolve in one talk.  I started something, nothing more.  Hopefully they’ll be able to work out the rest themselves.  I am NOT Dr. Phil.”

                A snort broke loose from Batman but he seemed satisfied.  Superman shrugged, apparently unconcerned.  “Well, that’s good then.  I suppose we can skip that part of the agenda.  While we’re on the subject, how is Sakura’s training progressing?”

                “Magnificently.  Her prowess as a medic is no exaggeration, she’s fast absorbing all the material I can teach her.  The main difference is that she’s learning to do with tools what she used to do with chakra.”

                “So just a difference of technique?”  Wonder Woman was listening.

                “Essentially.  But a significant difference.  Chakra is energy manipulation, more than just skill with a knife and forceps.  Fortunately, she seems to know her way around those also.  So far, she’s been very enthusiastic about the training, she considers it useful knowledge to teach to civilian medics.  It’s made her very helpful in regards to help on chakra manipulation.”

                “And, on THAT note, how is the dimensional projector coming along?”

                “Definitely progressing.”  Terrific replied, somewhat wearily.  “Progressing, as most science does, by becoming more and more unclear.”

                “Huh?”  Superman’s forehead wrinkled.

                “He means that the more he knows about chakra, the more he knows how little he knows.”  Batman clarified.

                “Exactly.”  Terrific nodded gratefully at Batman.  “It appears there are… hidden depths to chakra manipulation that I did not anticipate.  So far, I have a… workable platform for transmitting chakra into the Sharingan, which should _theoretically_ open the dimensional hole, but again, we have little way of knowing where or how that would happen.”  Pausing momentarily, he continued, “Perhaps now might be a good time to bring the ninjas into our confidence on this matter.  Sakura tells me some of them can see how chakra moves, and certainly being able to TEST the projector would give me a better idea on what to improve.”

                Green Lantern rubbed his chin.  “It might help them to know that we ARE working on a way to bring them home.”

                “They might not like that we took the one kid’s Sharingan for the machine.”

                “They’re going to learn that one way or another,” shrugged Lantern.

                “Definitely worth considering.”  Superman nodded.  “Now, to return to the main point… Batman, it says here you’re training… four?  Of the ninjas?”

                “I’m training ONE.”  Batman ignored the smile on Wonder Woman’s face and the snicker from Green Arrow.  “I’m only training the one Rock Lee kid.  Neji, Naruto, and Kiba occasionally drop in on an un-official basis for me to give them pointers.”

                “Glad you seem to have regained some trust with the ninjas,” said Superman, as drily as possible.  “Flash, you’re also training Lee?”

                Flash shrugged.  “I spar with the kid.  Can’t exactly take him on patrol, he’d slow me down too much.  Still…” he grinned.  “…he and Kid Flash can do a maaaaad tag-team.”

                “Two trainers.”  Lantern rubbed his eyes.  “AND that kid keeps following me around the base.”

                “You too?”  Green Arrow cocked an eyebrow at the ex-marine.

                “How’s Neji’s training coming along, Arrow?”

                Arrow roused himself at the question.  “Well enough.  Bats was right about one thing at least, the kid could make a mean archer, with eyesight like that.  Not so used to my usual beat, perhaps, but his close-combat skills are very helpful.”  Arrow gained a new light in his eye.  “Hey, I heard that kid’s backstory too.  Classic downtrodden lower class stuff.  You see, he…”

                “Heard it.”  Batman waved.  “ALSO heard he doesn’t blame the bourgeoisie anymore for what happened.  And I met the representative of the particular bourgeoisie, she didn’t seem particularly obsessed with keeping the proletariat downtrodden.”

                “It’s the principle of the thing.”  Arrow glared at the billionaire.

                “That’s… Hinata?”  Superman glanced from one to the other.  “Who’s got her?  Diana?”

                “So they tell me.”  Wonder Woman grumbled.  “But between Lois and Blue Devil, I haven’t seen a great deal of her.  Sakura either, for that matter, but I can’t really complain, seeing how well Terrific is getting on with her.”

                “She does sessions with me.”  Hawkgirl spoke up suddenly.  “Unofficial, of course.   Can’t have a traitor teaching one of them.”

                “Of course.”  Superman just barely managed to suppress the wince.  “And… J’onn, you’re teaching Ino.”

                “Guiding is more appropriate, but yes.  She’s come far in the last month, she is nearly a full-fledged telepath.  I look to great things from her in the future.”

                “Has she been able to help you with the probes on Naruto and Hinata?”  Batman spoke up suddenly.

                “I wouldn’t ask her to.”  J’onn looked rather affronted.  “But she has provided a certain… insight into the issues I’ve had probing them.  Most likely, I believe my difficulties in penetrating Naruto’s mind result from the Kyuubi we’ve heard so much about.”

                “Mmm.  And Hinata?”

                J’onn sighed.  “That… remains a mystery.”

                “Of course it does.”  Batman grunted, folding his arms. 

“We need to know where they met that Spectre, and neither of them is talking yet,” pointed out Green Lantern.  “If the probes aren’t working, what are our other options?”

“Perhaps the World’s Greatest Detective can help us with that.”  Wonder Woman grinned at Batman.

“I’ve got better things to do than chase children around Jump City.”

“Even if it might mean the end of the world?”

Batman simply looked at her.  He might’ve rolled his eyes, but with the cowl, it was very difficult to say.  Superman decided the meeting had gone too far off track.  “Lantern?  How are Sai, Virgil, and….”  Superman glanced down momentarily for the newer arrival, “…Tenten coming in training?”

“Tenten trains separately.  She’s mostly interested in my Marine marksmanship training.  Sai and Virgil are… getting along.”  A pained look crossed Lantern’s face.  “They’re, ah, different character sorts, but… they can work together.”

“Well, that will have to do.”  Superman knew rather well the issues Lantern was avoiding.  “Good, and as you can see from the reports, Chouji is doing well with Atom Smasher and Kiba with Beast Boy.  That just leaves…”

“Shino.”  Terrific supplied.  “He’s researching with me, but most of his real training is with Atom.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Test Subject 39 had no name.  Strictly speaking, he should have had no personality either.  He’d been born fully grown and had spent the first few months of his infancy learning the various ways to kill a man.  Language had been directly implanted, ordinary stealth behavior had been… forcibly learnt, and cunning had been nurtured as well as possible.  All in all, not a varied childhood.

 

                Yet he had a character, of sorts.  He had friends.  Test Subject 23, for example, who could rip a man’s throat out in five seconds, and Test Subject 72, who had fought with him for three straight hours before the overseers had torn them apart.  And that man Reynolds, who had been delicious for the three seconds Test Subject 39 had had his arm in his mouth.

                Yes, Test Subject 39 had friends, and he had a home, of sorts, in the small metal room he’d had to himself after the warm moisture of the tube, and he had certain hopes and aspirations, though they might not be the same as other peoples.  In fact, Test Subject 39 had a personality.

                And currently, Test Subject 39’s personality was very, very frustrated.

                He’d been released.  He’d followed his orders.  He’d drawn them out, he’d attacked them.  Now, if they would just SHOW themselves, he could get on with the mission and KILL them.  Quite a straightforward process.

                The boy had an annoying tactic of hiding.  Test Subject 39 could smell him somewhere in the general area, but it was troublesome to have to smash up all the surrounding buildings just to find him.  Still, he’d find him eventually.  Him and all his little bugs.  He’d squash them all.

                That prickling feeling on his back was getting irritating, too.  For some reason it felt like it was getting stronger.

                Test Subject 39 smashed through a car or two and roared his frustration to the skies.  Missions weren’t supposed to go like this!  He turned to the alleyway and began to tear through the boxes and dumpsters, just to let loose a little steam…

                The dumpster broke apart to reveal a man just leaping away, clutching on his bleeding arm.

                “GOT YOU!”  The Beast was strong in Test Subject 39.  It always grew stronger as the curse progressed, and after an hour or so of fruitless fighting, it was raging.  Test Subject 39 raced after the bleeding boy, screaming with rage.  The teen held out his hands and shouted something.

                Bugs.

                Again with the bugs, always the bugs, just HOW many bugs did this guy have?  And now the bugs were flying at him, tearing at him.  They flew at his eyes, in his ears, up his nose, into his open mouth.  Little pricks made themselves felt as insects broke their teeth against the hardened skin of the Curse Seal.

                But he was… he was… he was more than Test Subject 39.  He was the Beast.  He was THE Test Subject, greater than all other Test Subjects, and he would not be bested by a swarm of insects!  That was not allowed to happen in missions!

                He gnashed his teeth, masticating the bugs within, and batted the flies away from his eyes.  They swirled back again, but he saw him… he SAW the arrogant boy with his arrogant coat and his arrogant sunglasses and his ARROGANT insects.  He only saw him for a second, but a second was more than enough.

                He shot forward and buried his fist in the boy’s chest, listening with satisfaction to the faint crunching of bones.  Ah ha, so THIS one was not some bug-covered fake then.  His other hand shot forward and grabbed hold of the boy, lifting him up into the air, squeezing his chest…

                Test Subject 39 did not know it, of course, but no one had ever really seen Shino without his coat.  More particularly, no one outside the Aburame had ever dared to investigate how much of Shino’s coat was Shino and how much was bugs.

                The truth was that Shino had a great many bugs in his coat, more than enough to give him a faint sort of padding against enemy attack, and maybe _just_ enough to escape the grip of a crazed homicidal monster.

                Of course, the latter only worked if all the bugs exited the coat at once.

                It was like a greased hotdog sliding out of its bun.  Test Subject 39 gaped in astonishment as insects poured out of the coat, allowing the teen to sweep down onto the pavement.  The suffocating clouds covered him, they pressed on him, and now he was aware that what had at first been a faint prickling was now a growing drain, and now it was all over his body, sucking away his energy his force…

                As Test Subject 39 succumbed to blackness, he heard the words: “ _Hijutsu: Mushidama_.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Naruto was sparring with some robots.  The experience was a novel one and all the more enjoyable for that.  He’d never bothered to even fight puppets before, so these Z-A trainers the League used were great fun.  You could practice completely lethal moves on them and no one would care.

                Mind you, they hurt like anything to hit.  And he had them on ‘hard,’ so they were actually executing some pretty formidable moves, and they didn’t get hurt as badly when he did hit them.  One rasengan, of course, would blow them all away, but he’d promised Superman he’d work on finesse, and…

                “Naruto?”

                Naruto’s eyes widened and he lost focus for a second.  A metallic hand clipped his jaw, he cursed, and his right fist shot out, straight into the robot’s head. 

The head itself was non-functional, there was barely anything there except some visual receivers, but these things were programmed to shut off once they had been destroyed.  The robot sagged to the ground, and with a little growl, Naruto turned to face the other three.

“Naruto, we need to talk.”

“Maybe later, Sakura, I’m a little busy right…”

A pale fist flashed across his field of vision and plowed into the nearest robot, crumpling it in half.  A kick to the second smashed its chest open, and the third was lucky to only lose its head.  Sakura stood in the heap of three mangled robot bodies.  “No, Naruto.  We really need to talk.”

“Those were _my_ robots.”  Naruto grumbled, moving to the exit.  Picking up a water bottle, he began to chug its contents.

“Naruto, it’s about Gotham.”

Coughing a little on the water, Naruto lowered the bottle.  “What about it?”  He asked, with a bright smile.  “We got in, we got out, we got Question, everybody’s happy.”  He frowned a moment.  “Except… maybe the couple thousand people who saw me almost destroy Gotham.   But we’re working on that.”

“No, Naruto we…”  Sakura stopped and corrected herself.  “I need to talk to you about the… the part where we left you guys behind.”

“You guys explained all that.”  The bright smile was still in place on Naruto’s face.  “You couldn’t find us.  You needed to move.  Perfectly understandable.  Nothing to talk about, see?  Look, I told Lee I’d…”

“No, it’s about the stuff before that too, the… other times… when we… when I…”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Sakura.  Now I really…”

“Naruto, would you STOP smiling for ONE moment while I TRY to APOLOGIZE!” 

The echoes in the room died away.  Naruto and Sakura stared at each other for a long, tense moment.  Finally, Sakura blinked and looked away.

“That… that didn’t come out right.”  She muttered.  “Oh, kami, this is all going wrong already.  Look… Naruto?  You remember that time you came back from the Sasuke retrieval all beat up?”

“Yeah.”

“And you were all apologetic and everything about not bringing him back.”

Naruto looked a mixture of misery and anger.  “Yeah?”

“And… and I was completely inconsiderate and tried to pretend nothing was wrong?”

“Yeah?”  Naruto answered, still slightly angry.  Slowly, the gears shifted in his head.  “Oh…”

“Yeah.”  Sakura nodded.  “Look, I…”  she swallowed.  “I don’t really… want to talk about it either, but… well, I think I’ve got a lot to answer for.  Starting, I suppose, with that bit I mentioned just now, about when you came back from trying to save Sasuke and I didn’t want to accept your apology.”

“You apologized for it a long time ago.”  Naruto was guarded, withdrawn.

“Nevertheless, I want to apologize for it again.  It’ll give me something to start with.”

“Fine.”  Naruto shrugged.  “I accept your apology for trying to avoid the subject then.  And?”

“And… I apologize for leaving without you to go to Gotham.  And going with Shikamaru to get Sasuke before that.”

“I told you, I understand your reasons.”

“But you don’t agree with them.”

Naruto hesitated.  “No.”  He admitted.  “No, I don’t.”

“And we knew that.”  Sakura nodded.  “That’s why we didn’t…”  Again she corrected herself.  “That’s why _I_ didn’t tell you.  I was supposed to.”

“Yeah.”  Naruto’s face grew curiously hard.  “I don’t agree with that either.”

Swallowing, Sakura nodded again.  “I realize that, but…”

“No.  You realize nothing.”  Naruto stepped toward the girl.  “You and Shikamaru BOTH know how important it is that we get Sasuke back.  He’s a shinobi of Konoha, and we never leave a shinobi of Konoha behind.  He’s your teammate and he’s mine, and Kakashi-sensei told us what that means.  And he’s a friend.  We don’t desert our friends.  You both know, all of that, and yet you choose to go and try to kill Sasuke anyway.  But worse than that.”  Naruto took a deep breath.  “Worse than that, you don’t even respect me enough to TELL me what you’re planning.  You don’t trust me to keep a level head and go along with it.”

“You didn’t.”  Sakura pointed out.

“No!  But because I never learned about it until you guys were gone, I never really had much of a choice, now did I?  If you’d just told me, we could have maybe talked it over, as it was, I was lucky to save you guys.”  A fresh light came into his eyes.  “And that’s the other thing.  Even if you HAD told me, you wouldn’t have let me come on the attack team, would you?”

“You’re too close to Sasuke.”  Sakura answered.  “You really think you would’ve killed him, even if you had agreed with our plan?”  In her mind’s eye she saw Sasuke, shooting at Lee, and herself on the ground, unwilling to attack.

“Maybe.  Maybe not.  But I could have protected you guys, I could’ve…”  Naruto bit off the phrase and looked away.  “Okay.”  He glanced back.  “Superman and Robin have cleared that up a bit for me.  But you guys DIDN’T have enough power, and you should have known that.”

“No.”  Sakura answered, staring at the ground.  “We should have.  I’m sorry.”

There was another short, less tense, silence.  Naruto studied Sakura for a moment and finally heaved a long breath.  “Okay.  I understand a bit more of that now.  I forgive you.  Sorta.  Now…”  He moved toward the door.  “…I’ve got to get…”

“…Na… Naruto…”  Sakura’s voice froze him in the door, and he turned around slowly.  She was breathing thickly, still staring at the floor, hands wringing together in front of her.  Several times, her mouth opened and closed with no sound, then: “I…  there’s… there’s one… one other thing.”  She swallowed.  “You know.  The one thing.”

Naruto’s face was stone.  “I really, REALLY don’t  know what you could be talking about.”

“Naruto, I have to say this.  I mean, I guess I don’t know… I guess I don’t really know what I could say, but… well… I need to… there’s not really anything I could…”  She swallowed again.  “You know what, you’re right.  I don’t know what I’m talking about either.”

Naruto turned away.  So did Sakura.  But strangely, neither moved for a long moment, and neither said anything.  The silence of the training room hung between them like a blanket.

Finally Sakura whispered.  “…I’m so sorry…”

“I’ll bet you are.”

“…I couldn’t think of anything else… I was trying to help you…”

“Yeah, well… you chose a rotten way to do it.”

“It was cruel.  I know that.  I meant it for the best…”

“Just… just shut up for a moment, okay?”  Naruto passed a hand over his face and stood staring at the wall.  There was a long, very long silence, broken only by the occasional choked sob from Sakura.

Finally, she managed, in a quiet voice, “Can you ever forgive me?”

“I don’t know.”  Naruto shook his head.  “I expect so, I usually can, but… I don’t know.”  Heaving a breath, he turned around to face her.  “I’m not going to pretend this is something I can just forget about.  And I can’t really say I’m okay with it now, or even will be for quite some time yet.  But… for the moment…” he heaved a breath.  “I guess I can try.”

Sakura gave a very small nod.  “Thank you.”

Naruto nodded back, and then shoved the door open and strode away.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Shino lay, pale and slightly panting, on the pavement, staring at the heap of bugs that was his attacker.  The insect sphere was meant to suck all chakra, but the curse seal produced such a phenomenal amount, could it really…?

                But the sphere showed no sign of bursting just yet.  At the moment, there were other matters to attend to.  Shino’s leg was bleeding badly and he could feel the crack in his ribs, but first things first.  He reached out a long, skinny arm and snagged his coat from where it lay on the pavement.

                Shino liked his coat.  It was a big coat.  It hid him, it shielded his allies, and it naturally impressed people.  And it was very warm.  Without his coat, he felt naked (despite his long pants and t-shirt).  Scooping it up off the pavement, he shrugged himself into it as gently as possible, hoping not to jostle the loose rib.  He stared thoughtfully at the clump of insects but shook his head.  They still looked pretty busy.  Best to leave them.  The coat felt funny without them, though.  Loose.  And… smooth, somehow.  Too calm, too, usually it had a rather comforting prickly feeling to it.

                His head snapped around.  The insects on the target were milling uncertainly, throbbing, pulsating…

                They burst outward, unable to contain the chakra any longer, and a truly beastial form of Test Subject 39 arose from the ground.  “HAHAHHAAA!”  It screamed.  “I’ll kill you all!”

                _A… third level?_

                Shino barely had time to think the thought before the fingers were closing around his windpipe.  Growths sprouted from the creatures back, protrusions meant to shoot out pure chakra.  Focusing in on Shino, they began to glow with blue light.  Shino’s ribs screamed, his right leg was slowly losing feeling.

                And then suddenly, the creature’s gaze became troubled.  It wobbled about on its feet for a moment or so, stumbled, and sent its accumulated chakra shooting into the sky.  He tried to get up, stumbled, and collapsed again.

                Shino didn’t quite understand what was going on, but he wasn’t going to question it.  Kunai shot from his fingertips, the bugs descended around the creature again.

                A small blue and red figure leaped out of the swirling heap, swiftly growing into a full-size man.  “Whew,” said the Atom, brushing something off his shoulder.  “That was close.”

                “What technique did you just employ?”  Shino frowned.  “I did not recognize it, but it appeared most effective.”

                “Got into his cochlea, knocked around his inner ear a little.  Throws the sense of balance all out of whack.  Sorry it took me so long, I had to land on the collarbone, and that’s a lot of distance to cover at cell-size.”

                “Understandable.”  Shino managed.

                The Atom looked over at him and suddenly realized the situation.  “Oh, man, you look awful!  Here, lie down a moment.  Don’t worry, I’m a doctor.  Well, nuclear physicist, actually, but…”

                There was a roar.  Both turned as the heap of bugs leapt to its feet and, shedding insects all the way, ran off down the street.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Alex?  Alex Row?”  Reverend McCay chuckled and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder.  “Well, when I said I hoped we’d meet again, I must say I did not think…  My, but you look well!”

                “Thank you.”  Sasuke gave a slight nod, unable to keep the smile from creeping across his face.   “You also look well.”

                “Alex?  Is that your real name, Sauce?”  Hamish laughed.  “Funny… you don’t look like an Alex.”

                “Oh, I am so sorry!  Where are my manners.  You sir, are…?”

                “Hamish Peterson.”

                “Greg Bentler.”

                “Mark Vandenwiel.  I believe I’ve seen you here before, sir.”

                “Ah, yes!  The one who worked for the shipping foundry?  Did you try those places I recommended?”

                “Er…”  Embarrassment was all over Mark’s face.  “Oh… A good try sir… but… economy and such… you know how it is.”

                “Ah.  A pity.  Be sure to try them again, I know Habelton’s is always looking for experienced men.”  McCay turned back to Sasuke.  “Well, I’m glad to see you Alex.  Ribs alright, arms healing up?”

                “Quite well, thank you.”  Sasuke suppressed a wince at the memory.

                “Good, good,” beamed the Reverend.  “I must say I worried about you going out again, but it looks like you are doing well for yourself.  Did you manage to get a job?”

                “No.”

                “No?  That is strange, you seem to be an adaptable person, it seems you should be able to find something.  Still…”  The minister sighed.  “I do hear times are difficult.”

                “You hear that, do you?”  There was something of a brittle edge to Hamish’s face.

                “Oh yes.   We’ve taken three collections for the homeless shelters this month, and the woman’s Bible Study has had a food drive.  And, of course, I’ve been helping Mr. Whitaker down here.  Did you enjoy the message, by the way?”

                There was a chorus of general agreements, the meaningless compliments given to any work when the author is standing right there.

                “Good, well I would just wish to re-iterate what I said at the end there, ANY of you are ALWAYS welcome down at 1st Presbyterian Assembly.  Just drop in around nine, I’ll be sure to say hello.  Well, I’m off.  Alex, good to see you again!”  And with a nod and a smile, Rev. McCay was on to the next table.  “John!  How are you?”

                “Yeah, catch me going into one of those places,” muttered Hamish.  “Bunch of stiff shirts looking at me over the tops of their glasses while he goes on about what a terrible place the world is.”

                “OR what a wonderful place the world is,” pointed out Mark, raising his glass to his lips.  “Some of them do that these days.  Almost worse, really, when your stomach’s growling to raise the dead and all.”  He gulped down the soda.

                “Oh, it’s not… so bad.”  Greg had been staring at the table and now interrupted, red-faced.  “I used to go each Sunday morning, with my mom, to the chapel on 1st Street.  It was… kinda fun.  Nice people, as I recall.”

                “Oh, they’re nice enough to their own, probably.”  Mark wagged a finger.  “And they like being kind to the occasional beggar, because it gives ‘em a warm fuzzy feeling.  But you hang around long enough, that sort of thing wears off real fast.”

                “Huh.  No kidding.  Probably even expect me to put a coin in their money plate, the losers.  If that isn’t temptation, I don’t know what is.  Passing around a big bowl full of money in front of a starving man?  Why don’t you just…”

                “Money plate?”  Sasuke raised a quiet eyebrow.

                “Tradition of theirs.  Before any preacher preaches, he’s gotta get what’s coming to him.  So they pass the plate around, and all the _good people_ dump cash inside.  I think it’s sick, the racket some of ‘em got going.  You keep hearing about this minister or that who scammed his church… I wonder how they’re even surprised.”  Hamish spat.  “Those places have TONS of money.”

                “They don’t have all that much.”  Greg interposed.  “They give like half of it away.”

                “So they tell you, sure.”

                Sasuke did not answer.  He was staring after the minister with a calculating expression.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Can’t say I’m very impressed, Luthor.”  Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow.  “Your little boy wonder just got taken down by a hive of beetles and a shrinkable man.  Doesn’t seem to have done much for you.”

                Luthor smiled.  “Oh, on the contrary, Mr. Nara.  My test subject held his own against two powerful opponents and was able to escape.  We have obtained valuable field data, noted flaws we can work on in our other test subjects, and accomplished all this without tipping off the League that we were behind this supposedly random attack.  On the whole, I think this has been a fairly successful operation.”  He gave Karin a nod.  “Excellent work.”

                “Th-thank you sir.”  Some of Karin’s tension shivered away.

                “Now.  Disperse the EMP field before they seek out the device, and prepare for 39’s extraction.  There must be no evidence.  And…”

                Shikamaru allowed his mind to drift away.  He did not want to show it, but he was mildly frightened.  Shino was a powerful opponent, in his own way.  Perhaps this had been a poorly matched battle, but nonetheless, the ability to use THREE levels of the curse seal and still retain coherency was dangerous.  If Luthor truly could make more of these, things could get dangerous.

                “39 has arrived at the extraction point now, sir.”  Karin’s voice broke in on his reflections.  “The team is lifting him out.”

                “Onscreen.”  Luthor ordered.  Giving the image a cursory once-over, he nodded.  “Well, most of the wounds are superficial, and with his healing factor they shouldn’t be too much trouble.  Prepare a reward package for him.”

                “Yes sir.”

                Shikamaru held himself in the bed.  He did NOT want to lean forward.  He did NOT want to study the image more closely.  He did NOT, in fact, want to show that he was at all interested in the figure of Test Subject 39 as it filled the screen.

                Because there, just under 39’s left shoulder blade, was a small black mark.

                It looked like a bug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I'm so slow on this. I have all the chapters, I just don't get around to posting them. I think it's because it sometimes seems like no one is actually reading it here. There aren't nearly as many commentators as there were on FF.net. Shout-out to Nebroxah, who urged me to keep going, and motivated this update!
> 
> Also! I'd like to put in a plug for my work elsewhere. I recently had one of my short stories, "Lost in Translation" published in podcast form by *Cast of Wonders*. Philip Stalford, "The Chosen One," learns to his dismay that the prophecy was translated incorrectly, and the REAL Chosen One is someone completely different. Check it out here if you're so inclined. http://www.castofwonders.org/2017/05/episode-249-lost-in-translation-by-afalstein-kloosterman/


	24. Ignition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura and Lee help Batman against Harley Quinn, while Sasuke has an unusually personal discussion with Rev. McKay

 

                The building was dark, all the lights had gone out, and the only illumination came from the street lights outside, as filtered through the barred windows of the church.  The meeting space, once full of chairs, had long been cleared and was now simply an empty room with a podium and cross on a raised platform.

                Sasuke had managed to make himself invisible nearly immediately after the worship service, and now lurked in a handy shadow on the other side of the stage.  All the other parishoners had left already, and he was merely waiting for Rev. McCay to leave.

                Unfortunately, this looked to be a lengthy task.  McCay was apparently meeting with someone in his study, and  they’d been going on for a while.

                “James, I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, but can’t this wait?  I have a message to present to the Prison Fellowship tomorrow.”

                “I know, Norman.”  The other voice was deep, slightly gravely.  “But I’m afraid it can’t.  I wanted to ask you again about the girl…”

                A sigh from the minister cut off the second voice.  “James, we’ve been over this.  I don’t know.  I don’t have any answers for you.  Perhaps just the strength of the girl’s emotion at the time?”

                “That’s not how these things work.  Emotion alone is not the key, the spirit of vengeance requires a compatible spirit.  And the girl’s spirit was not veangeful.”

                Despite himself, Sasuke found himself listening to the conversation, if only because he had nothing else to do.  And hey, the subject sounded interesting.  Something about the second man’s voice sounded oddly familiar.

                “Well then I have nothing further to offer.”  Sasuke could imagine the minister’s shrug.  “Honestly, James, if you don’t understand it, then how am I supposed to?  You’ve much more experience in these matters.”

                “Perhaps, but you are human.”

                “Pah!  You’re human yourself, James, more than you realize.”

                “My experiences have… limited my imagination, my comprehension.  I know too much, Norman, that’s why I can’t imagine the things I don’t know.”  There was something like a sigh.  “God hasn’t shown me the answer, Norman.  He must want me to work it out on my own, but… I can’t.  I need your help.”

                There was a long pause, and then another sigh, this one apparently from the minister.   “Well… hm.”  A creak echoed from the office, as of someone pushing a chair back from a desk.  Sasuke heard the restless drumming of fingers on wood.  “You know… it’s just possible the girl may have stumbled on something.”

                “Like what?”

                “Well, it’s just a theory, James, but… you told me your official title is Uriel, correct?”

                “My NAME is Uriel.”

                “And yet it’s also James Corrigan.  Dear me.  Anyway, I remember from my days at seminary, and I think you told me this once yourself… Uriel is the angel of redemption, isn’t he?”

                “And vengeance, yes.  Two sides of God’s justice.”

                “Vengeance, of course.  Tell me, are the hosts for the Spectre always typically such… angry men?”

                There was a short pause.  “Well… generally, I suppose so.  Hosts are chosen for their understanding of vengeance.”

                “That’s the thing, though, James.  Vengeance isn’t all there is to your job.  How many people were chosen based on their understanding of redemption?  Of mercy?  I believe you when you say that mercy and justice are linked, or even simultaneous, even if I don’t understand it.  But it always seems to me that you focus far too much on the side of revenge.”  
                There was an uncomfortable cough.  “That has been suggested to me before.  But I do perform redemption, it is simply a… less dramatic work of mine.”

                “Yes, well…”  There was another sigh from the minister.  “What I’m trying to say, James, is that maybe the girl is a better fit to the Spectre than you, just in a different way.”

                “What?”   The gravelly voice lifted in surprise.

                “Well, you did tell me that the Spectre has never found a perfect host, correct?  Perhaps that is because people have always focused on a host obsessed with vengeance.  Maybe, just maybe, they should have been looking for someone better attuned with the idea of redemption.”

                “Like the girl.”

                “Possibly.  I don’t know, James, I told you, I don’t have any answers.  Just guesses.”

                “Well, that is the sum of human experience.”

                There was a moment’s silence, and then: “Ha!  A joke!  You just made a joke, James!”

                “Did I?”

                “You certainly said something funny.  It’s close enough to one.  See, James?  You are human still.  You just need to work at it.  Get out more, spend more time with your fellow humans, things like that.”

                “Norman, you’re one of the few people I CAN honestly talk to.  Most people either wouldn’t believe who I truly am, or if they did believe, they’d be too frightened to speak.”  There was a little pause.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”

                “Ha, well, hopefully, you wouldn’t begin by brutally killing everyone responsible.  I’d hate for that to…”

                The speaker’s words trailed off and there was a pregnant pause.  Then there was again the squeak of a chair being pushed back, the click of glasses being pulled off, and the cautious question: “You said ‘what I AM going to do without you.’”

                A long, horrible silence, as the gravelly voice realized its mistake.

                “Is there something you’re not telling me, James?”

                “Well…”  the voice struggled a little, “Yes.”

                Another pause.  “I see.”  Another, longer sigh.  “I see.  I take it this is going to be… soon?”

                “Yes.”

                “I suppose you couldn’t tell me how soon?”

                “It’s… probably for the best if you don’t know.”

                “No.  No, I suppose not.”  There was the familiar drumming of fingers on the desk.  “It’s just… this is just such an… inconvenient time, really.  The prison ministry is stretched for volunteers, old Mrs. Gummidge practically depends on me to bring her her medication, the classis coming up is going to need a secretary, the council has to…”

                “I’m sorry, Norman.  But the timing never is convenient with these things.”

                “No.  That’s true, I suppose.  But… well, it’s this Alex Row boy.”  Sasuke’s ears pricked up.  “I really thought God brought him into my life for a reason, you know?  He was even in the service this evening.  And now…” there was a sizeable thump as a hand came heavily down on the desk, “…now I won’t have a chance to help him.  I guess I was wrong.”

                “Everything has a purpose, Norman.  You know that.”

                “Maybe.  But now I won’t live to see it.”  A very heavy sigh.  “I don’t suppose you could tell me...”

                “No.  God’s courses are not mine to say.  I’m sorry.”

                “Why?” grunted the minister.  “It’s not you that’s doing it.”  A short pause.  “Is it?”

                “No.  I did request that I be present to welcome you but… they decreed that I am to remain uninvolved.”

                “That’s… probably a good idea, yes.  I was just saying, James, and I say it again now, I hope you don’t go on a rampage avenging my death on all responsible.”  There was a noise like a laugh.  “I’d hate for my last act with you to be one of anger.  I’ve lived a long life, James.  A good one, too, and I hope I’ve lived it well.  Certainly I’ve seen more of the universe than I ever dreamed to in seminary.”

                “More than you wished to, perhaps.  Mankind cannot bear very much reality.”

                “That I don’t know about.  But certainly I’m glad to have had the opportunity.”  Another squeak as the chair pushed back into the desk.  “I… don’t know, James.  The precise timing is inconvenient, but in general I can’t really complain about the life I’ve had so far.  Yes, I could say I’m ready.”

                “Well…”  A little pause.  “I am… glad to hear that, Norman.”

                A longer pause.

                “Well, I… I suppose I should go now.”

                “Hmm?  Oh, yes.  Yes, goodbye, James.  I’ll see you—no, I suppose I won’t—on the other hand, I probably will—well, anyway… goodbye.”

                “Goodbye, Norman.”

                Then there was silence.  Sasuke waited for the speaker to emerge, but the door remained shut and the light seeping underneath remained unchanged.  Again he heard the creak of a chair being pushed back.

                Curious despite himself, Sasuke stepped forward, out of the shadows…

                …and straight into the light suddenly streaming from the office’s open door.  It glinted off Rev. McCay’s astonished face.  “Alex!  Do come in!”

* * *

 

                “I don’t get why I have to come with you on this.”  Sakura tried not to look at the floor of the invisible aircraft.  “I’ve never done any of this hero patrol stuff before, I’m more likely to be a liability than anything”

  “And THAT is precisely WHY you have to come along.”  Wonder Woman called over her shoulder.  “Hero patrols are part of the whole point of training.  They teach you how to work with us and us how to work with you.  Battle is the greatest training ground.  And I am supposed to be training you.”

                “Can’t you and Batman handle it?”

                A snort broke loose from the Amazon.  “Batman probably would claim he could handle it himself, regardless of what he actually could do.”  In the reflection of the glass, Sakura saw Diana’s forehead wrinkle in thought.  “It’s… rather odd, actually, but he asked me to come help.  Said that the patrol is likely to be rather wide and he could use an extra pair of eyes.”

                Sakura processed what she knew of Batman.  “That sounds weird.”

                “Yes.”  Wonder Woman nodded.  “Batman ordinarily does not permit strangers on his territory, though I’ve offered to help him many times.”

                Sakura stared at the woman’s reflection in the glass.  Was she seeing what she thought she was seeing?

                “It’s… very good of you to be so helpful to him.”  She began cautiously.

                “Thank you.”  Wonder Woman gave a half-shrug.

                This part had to be phrased properly.  “He doesn’t seem to… want help, though.”

                “Oh, he doesn’t.  But he still needs it.”  A spasm of frustration passed over the Amazon’s face.  “Stupid man.  So enormously arrogant, he thinks he has to work himself into the grave without accepting aid from any source.  And yet somehow HE has to stick his head in every other matter going on.”

                Just the edge of Sakura’s mouth was curving.  “Really, you should just leave him alone.  He deserves to learn a lesson.”

                “He does!”  Wonder Woman snapped.  “He really does!  I ought to turn this plane about right now!  There’s no reason why I should always come helping whenever he calls!”

                For a moment the plane was filled with nothing but the gentle hum of the airplane’s engine.  It did not pitch or whine, no change came in its beat.  The telltale creak of the airplane rudder was conspicuously absent.  Silent and smooth, the invisible plane kept right on course.

                Sakura really couldn’t restrain her smile now.  “And yet, you do.”

                “Silence!” snapped Wonder Woman.  Sakura obediently subsided and waited, confidently watching the princess in front of her. 

Slowly, gradually, the proud Amazon’s shoulder’s slumped.  “Yes.”  She admitted.  “Yes, I do.”

“I’m told,” Sakura continued, unaccountably enjoying herself, “that we girls always go for the cool, quiet types.”

Wonder Woman half-turned.  “’We?’”

“Well, you know.  In general,” said Sakura, a little too quickly, trying to hold back the blood rushing to her face.  Suddenly this wasn’t so enjoyable.  “We as…women as a group, you understand.”

Now Diana’s mouth curved.  “I see.”  She nodded, turning back to the controls.  “However, Batman is not one of your ‘cool, quiet’ types.  He is an accomplished warrior, who conducts himself with honor and discretion.  A worthy consort for any woman.”

Sakura’s built-in dictionary contained every word in the English language, but that didn’t mean they all came readily to memory.  “Huh?”

Wonder Woman sighed.  “I MEANT he’s a catch for any girl.”

“Oh.  If you say so.”  Again Sakura called up an image of the taciturn, glowering Batman.  She couldn’t quite see the appeal.  Well… maybe she could if she were Wonder Woman, but even so…  good grief, had she really been like this with Sasuke?  And Ino too?

She decided to check how bad it was.  “So basically, we would be going to Gotham whatever the situation, because it’s a chance to see Batman.”

“To _help_ him.  I see him all the time.  He’s too proud to accept much help.”

 _Pretty bad_ , Sakura decided. _Though not quite as bad as my hero-worshiping genin days_.  “Are you sure it’s worth it?”  She asked, with more sincerity than she’d meant to put into it.

Wonder Woman must’ve picked up on the odd tone, for she half-turned again and studied her for a moment before turning back.  There was a short interval of silence as the Amazon thought out her answer.  Finally she said, “As far as what I have given, I have given no more than any comrade in arms would give another.  As for what he has given, he has given me his respect and his trust, neither of which are to be taken lightly.  And as for what I have gained…” she paused momentarily, “…I have gained a new world, new friends, and new duties.   From him alone I have gained much valuable training and hours of companionship… well, comradeship, at least.  And…” a curve tilted her mouth.  “Occasionally he is fun to tease.”

She glanced back at Sakura.  “Do you understand?”

Sakura did not look up from the invisible floor.  “I wish I did.”  She muttered.  “I really wish I did.”

* * *

 

                “He’s called Juugo, you say?”

                “Yes.  He’s an ally of Sasuke’s, and enormously powerful.  His blood gives him transformative and berserker abilities.  Normally he is quite docile, but unfortunately his power has rendered him prone to bouts of insanity,” replied Shino.  He sat, smooth and professional, at the head of the League council table.  Several grim faces surrounded him.  “He submitted himself for imprisonment and experimentation in hopes of correcting this problem, but met with no success.  Why?  Presumably because he did so with a madman who was more interested in exploiting his strength.”

                Green Lantern snorted.  “That’d do it.”  He glanced over the papers in his hand.  “It looks as though you and Batman have put quite a comprehensive file together on this man.”

                “Yes.  Batman met Juugo in his infiltration of the Titan’s Tower and wished to add his own observations to our background info.”  Shino suppressed some minor annoyance at the memory, after all, he was quite a capable profiler.  At the same time, he also felt a small sliver of admiration—not many men could face off against Juugo and triumph.

                “That sounds like Bats.”  Lantern nodded.  “And you don’t think this attacker you and Atom met was this Juugo?”

                “No.  Why do I think so?   Because Juugo cannot alter his base appearance, and the man looked nothing like him.  Moreover, the transformation of the attacker was in a form more consistent with the Orochimaru curse-seal configuration than Juugo’s direct transformative abilities.”

                “The curse seal is a method of implementing the power of Juugo’s blood into lesser warriors,” Terrific supplied.  “A kind of combat stimulant and steroid all rolled into one.  Batman and I went over this with him earlier.”

                Superman, nodding absently, continued to study the paper in front of him.  “Mmm.  Which leaves us with the rather unsettling question of WHO in our world is now implementing them on bank robbers.”

“Not a bank robber.  He had no money, the bag was full of explosives.  This was a field test.”  Green Lantern threw the wad of papers back on the table.  “Not that that’s much better.”

“Not hard to guess who was conducting it, either.”  Hawkgirl nodded.  “Luthor again.  So what’s this mean?  He knows about curse seals?”

Terrific snorted.  “More likely, he knows how to turn a few blood samples into a clone.  He’s definitely got this Juugo character.”

“Captured?  Or allied?”

“Impossible to say.  If he’s the kind that would…”

“Excuse me.”  All eyes turned to Shino.  “If I may voice an opinion…”

Superman nodded.  “Go ahead.”

“Juugo is deeply loyal to Sasuke.  Why?  Sasuke is the only one who can restrain him from one of his fits.  Therefore he is unlikely to be willingly far from Sasuke’s side.  Yet, in the battle on Gotham, when Sasuke was critically injured, Juugo was nowhere to be found.  It is safe to assume he was not anywhere in the area.  It is likely, then, that Juugo has been captured by Luthor and is being held against his will.”

There was a moment’s silence.

“Makes sense.”  Hawkgirl nodded.

“That’s quite a lot of info you’ve got there, kid.”  Lantern raised an eyebrow.  “You an analyst back home?”

“Not professionally.  I do enjoy investigating and evaluating.”

“Look into it when you get back.  You’ve got the makings of a detective.”  Lantern stood to his feet.  “Okay.  So we got a lead on this Juugo clone thing, we can start looking at records of the latest technology involved in cloning and where it’s been disappearing.  Check on traffic patterns in the area where Shino and Atom were attacked, too, see if we can find something on this guy leaving the area.”

“Luthor could have teleported him out.”  Flash objected.

“For a measly soldier?  When he’s already got a team observing?  Not likely.  He’d bring him out the ordinary way.  Anyway, it’s worth a try.  And Atom got a pretty good sample of his DNA structure… we can run some analysis on it, see if we can find something that way.”

“Sounds good.”  Superman nodded.  “I’ll contact Bats with the update.”  He rose, signaling the end of the meeting, and the others followed his suit.  “Shino, you’ve been most helpful.  Thank you.  In passing, may I ask whether you have any means of tracing this Juugo-clone?”

Shino’s glasses were utterly impassive.  “No.”

* * *

 

                “Lee?”  Sakura blinked as she jumped from the cockpit.  “What are you doing here?”

                “The same thing as you, obviously.”  The deep voice made her jump, particularly as it came from right behind her.  Batman’s grim face stared down at her.  “He is out patrolling with me, learning how to work with us.”  He gave a short nod to Wonder Woman.  “Princess.”

                “What’s this about, Bruce?”  The amazon crossed her arms and studied him.

                “There’ve been some kidnappings recently.  I’ve detected a pattern, but the potential targets are too widespread to cover all by myself.  I need a few more eyes on this.”  A jerk of his head indicated the rooftop.  “So here you are.”

                “Normally we’d just stake out the best one, but this is a special case.”  Robin materialized from the shadows to stand by his mentor.  “We can’t risk any more.”

                Wonder Woman frowned.  “Risk?”  Light dawned on her face.  “Is this that Harley girl?”

                “Yes.  She’s going after brain therapy surgeons.  Within the last week she’s captured four, three of which have been found dead, apparently because they wouldn’t or couldn’t do what she’d demanded.”

                “And the fourth?”

                “Still missing, but it’s only a matter of time before his body shows up.”  There was a sudden whoosh of air and a young woman in a cape and mask, whom Sakura hadn’t yet met, landed on the rooftop beside them.  “Police are still searching, though.”  She cocked an eyebrow at Sakura.  “Who’s the new kid?”

                Batman, typically, ignored the question.  “Harley’s new at this game.  She left playing cards at each scene, so we know it was her, but she’s not following any kind of overlaying joke.  She’s just trying to find doctors.  And despite her training, she doesn’t know a lot about brain surgery, so she’s capturing them largely at random.”

                “Which is why you called all of us in.”  Wonder Woman cast a long glance around the rooftop.  “You’re Batgirl, aren’t you?”

                The newcomer rolled her eyes.  “It’s the bat symbol on my chest, isn’t it.”

                “The ‘girl’ part she may have needed help with.”  Robin suggested.  Batgirl stuck her tongue out at him.

                “Enough of that.”  Batman’s voice snapped everyone back to reality.  “Batgirl, you take the Ankh neighborhood, there are a few doctors that have country houses out there.  Robin, you take Lee and keep an eye on the Research Institute in North Gotham.  Wonder Woman, I want you to patrol between the Ridley and Ahmmersburg apartments, quite a number of surgeons have rooms there.”

                Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow.   “How am I supposed to train Sakura like that?  She can’t exactly fly.”

                “She won’t need to.”  Batman’s ice-cold glare turned to the girl.  “She’ll be watching the Roosevelt Building with me.”

* * *

 

“…and then the mathematician says, ‘Oh hey, I didn’t see all you guys back there.’”  Flash snickered.  “Yeah, I’ve seen this comic before.  Read it all the time.  For a thing with a bunch of stick figures, it’s pretty funny.  But what makes you think it’s so important?”

                “Because of its point.”  Mr. Terrific pushed away from the computer and rubbed his eyes.  “Essentially, this comic is saying that all history, all human behavior, everything, can be reduced to mathematics.  Which, by extension, means that everything can be predicted through math, and that everything is determined BY math.”

                Frowning, Flash glanced at the screen again.  “Dude, you get all that out of one comic?”

                “It’s a joke demonstrative of its creator’s mindset.  And actually, a great many people in the scientific community might agree with him.  Much of science, including what we know of evolution and human behavior, follow mathematical patterns.”

                “So?”  Flash shrugged.  “What does this have to do with anything?”

                Terrific again rubbed his eyes.  “Maybe it’ll be better if I put it this way.  The logical implication of this comic is that all of human life and experience could be comprehended in a single mathematical equation.”

                For a moment Flash just stared at him.  Then slowly his eyes widened.  “Ohhhhhh…”

                “Exactly.  Not such a new idea, really, Deists back in the 1700’s assumed much the same thing, they just assumed that the only person who could know such an equation would be a ‘god.’  Or more properly, I suppose, that ‘God’ was the one who set such an equation in motion.  Einstein dealt a blow to the theory with his work, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle renders…”  Terrific noted the glazed expression on Flash’s face and sighed.  “Well, anyway.  Suffice to say it’s still a logical possibility.”

                “So you’re starting to believe this Anti-Life Equation stuff now?”

                “Not really.  I’m just starting to see the logic behind such an equation.  I doubt very much it would do ANY of the things it’s supposed to, and personally I consider such a mathematical discovery considerably beyond the reach of anything human, but… I can see the case for an equation that mathematically proves free will doesn’t exist.”

                “I guess.”  Flash frowned at the screen again.  “You know, in that light, this comic is actually pretty depressing.”

                “Most comics are.  Ever read the one ‘Peanuts’ strip?”

                “Oh c’mon dude, everybody loves Charlie Brown.”

                “Sure, except for everybody in his world, apparently.”  Terrific smiled.  “In any case, I didn’t call you down here for a literary discussion.”

                Turning from the screen, Flash arched an inquisitive eyebrow at the scientist.  “Then what did you call me here for?”

                “Because of that.”  Terrific pointed at the comic again.  “If that IS the logic behind the Equation, then we may have a loophole.  You.”

                Flash looked confused.  “Say what?”

                “You can still run faster than light, right?”

                “Well…”  Awkwardly, Flash rubbed the back of his neck, oddly uncomfortable.  “If I need to.  But the last time I did that…” 

                Terrific waved the speedster into silence.  “I know, I know.  But the point is that you CAN do that.  Something that, logically and mathematically, has been PROVEN to be impossible.”

                “So?”  Flash shrugged. 

                “If the Equation is based around explaining everything in mathematical terms, then you’re our loophole.  Because you, my friend, are a mathematical impossibility.”

* * *

 

                “I don’t understand why you ninjas insist on dressing in bright colors.”  Batman grumbled.  “Stay down, you’ll show up like a flag against the skyline like that.”

                Sakura rolled her eyes, wove her fingers in a seal, and… “poof!” there was a new gargoyle on the roof.  “Happy now?”  It asked, turning its beaked face to Batman.

                “Better.”  Batman conceded.  “Now stay still and watch that building.”

                Gargoyle-Sakura did so, but could not resist asking, “So what’s so unusual about the doctors living here?”  At Batman’s glance, she let out a little snort.  “Well, you’d obviously choose the most likely target for yourself, so I’d guess this is the one where you think this Harley girl is going to show up.  Why?”

                “This is where Dr. Sasha Nein, one of the foremost experts on the human mind, is staying while visiting Gotham.”  Batman’s gaze did not waver.  “Fifteenth floor, eighth window from the left.  He just arrived today for a lecture he’s giving at the Gotham Medical Institute.  If Harley wants an brain surgeon, he’s it.”

                “Why DOES this Harley girl want a brain surgeon, anyway?”

                Batman didn’t reply right away, and for a moment Sakura thought the question would be ignored, as so many were.  Then:  “Joker.”  He said.  “The Joker is in a catatonic state.  She wants to bring him out of it.”

                Sakura waited, in case there was more forthcoming.  There didn’t seem to be.  “Who’s the Joker?”

“An insane killer.”  Batman looked at Sakura with a slightly incredulous expression, as if unable to believe she hadn’t heard of him before.  “A criminal with a sick sense of fun.  Gotham’s own personal nightmare that rises up to smash anything still standing.”  He turned back to the streets.  “Harley’s boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?”  Sakura frowned in thought, then understanding dawned.  “Oh…”

“A shame really.  Dr. Harleen Quinzell was once a psychologist herself, albeit not a very bright one.  She was Joker’s doctor at Arkham.  Despite his madness, Joker can be an adept psychologist himself at times, or at least certainly a better one than she was.  He wound her up like a toy doll, used her to break out of Arkham, and took her along as new hired help.”  Batman shook his head.  “She’s been obsessed with him ever since.”

“Wow,” said Sakura.  There wasn’t really a whole lot else to say.

“Everywhere he goes, whatever he does, she’s always stood by his side.  She gave up everything for him.  And he couldn’t care less.  He’s deserted, imprisoned, beaten, and nearly killed her several times; and yet she still won’t leave him.”  Batman closed his eyes and hissed his breath in and out a few times.  “There’s no cure for it.”

Gargoyle-Sakura said nothing, she just stared at the street below.

“Currently, the Joker is essentially a vegetable.”  Batman snorted suddenly.  “A side-effect of trying to manipulate a young telepathic girl to drive everyone crazy.  Telepaths generally aren’t pleased to find that someone’s been using them.  Harley has more freedom than she’s ever had before, and she’s using it to try to bring back his mind.”

Sakura frowned, which on the gargoyle looked particularly fearsome.  “And… you want to make sure that doesn’t happen?  That Joker doesn’t get any treatment?”

“She’s kidnapping and killing people.”  Batman answered.  “That’s enough reason to stop her.”

“But it’s not your reason…” Sakura threw him a sidelong glance, “…is it?  You don’t want the Joker to recover.”

Batman was silent for a moment, then nodded.  “It was a downfall of his own making, and one he richly deserved.  Gotham is better off without him—should have been without him years ago. ”

“But according to the law here, brain-dead is about the same as plain-dead.  Or can be, anyway.  Mr. Terrific was explaining the ethics of it to me yesterday.  Isn’t the League against killing?”

“Killing, yes.  The different technicalities and details regarding brain death make it a murky area, but it’s one we should err on the side of caution.  But as I said, this was a downfall of his own making.  We didn’t kill his brain, but we don’t have to save it either.”

“But you’ll actively prevent it being saved.”

“Yes.  And actively prevent doctors from being killed.”  Batman glared at her.  “If the city decides, for political reasons, that Joker should be given full treatment, I’ll stand by and let them sow their own ruin.  But unless and until that happens, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he pays the logical consequences of his actions.”

Sakura shrugged and looked away.  “Just so I understand the logic.”  She commented.  “Y’know, in Konoha, we would’ve just issued a contract on the guy and sent some of our ninjas after him.”

“This isn’t Kono…”  Batman froze in mid-sentence, staring at the wall.  Then he leapt into action.  “There!”  he snapped.  “Movement on the fifteenth-floor!”

* * *

 

“You’ve been remarkably more compliant since that demonstration we gave you, Mr. Nara.”

                Shikamaru shrugged.  “Might not have been godlike, but it showed you have at least SOME power to back up all this boasting you’re doing.  Besides…”  he scooped some rice onto his fork, “…it gets me some halfway decent food.  All those IV things were getting troublesome.”

                “You realize of course, Mr. Nara, that my allowing you the free use of your hands demonstrates my trust in your cooperation.”  Luthor grinned down from his familiar glassy perch.

                “Hm.  Something of a risk, you think?”

                The chilly silence gave him a secret satisfaction.  “Not a risk, Mr. Nara.”  Luthor answered coldly.  “Not to one such as I.  A risk to you, perhaps, that you might take advantage of it and incur my wrath through some meaningless demonstration of your defiance.”

                “Pfft.  Whatever.”  Shikarmaru picked up the toast and gazed at it for a moment.  “Hey, I thought I said I wanted honey on this thing.”

                Luthor gave an irritable wave and an orderly disappeared.  “I feel I should mention that you still seem to lack proper respect for my situation.”

                “It’s not like you’re the first god-on-earth baddie I’ve met,” shrugged Shikamaru, confidently chomping away at the rice.  He could tell, even from this distance, that his casual attitude was rankling Luthor.  Good.  “I mean, you’re smarter than the last guy, but still… when you’ve met one god, you’ve met them all.”

                Luthor gave a thin, unamused smile.  “Given time, I feel you may re-evaluate that appraisal.  Still, for now your gall is somewhat entertaining.”

                “Glad to know I make a funny gerbil.”  Just a bit of bitterness escaped Shikamaru.

                “Guinea pig, Mr. Nara.  You are an amusing guinea pig.  And you’re welcome.”

                “Tell me something,” Shikamaru knew he was starting to lose his cool and he knew that was dangerous, but there was something he truly had to know.  “That… thing you did with my head.  When you made me understand English.”  He looked up and did his best to seem confused instead of demanding.  “Okay, so you’re a god and you can go in people’s minds and stuff like that, but if you CAN do stuff like that… what the heck do you keep asking me questions for?”

                Luthor smiled at the crack in the teen’s defenses.  “Because I need your information, Mr. Nara.  I cannot drag your thoughts from your head.  I could, very easily, overwrite them all with thoughts of my own, but that would erase the oh-so-vital data that I need you for.  Besides,” and his smile grew truly predatory, “where would be the fun in a brainwashed chess opponent?”

                “Yeah, yeah, hilarious.”  Shikamaru poked savagely at his food, but there was a small glimmer of pride in his mind.  He told me a weakness.  He’s getting careless.

                “I mean no jest, Mr. Nara,” said Luthor, amusement in every tone.  “I am quite beginning to look forward to our little matches.  Perhaps, if you could spare…”

                Shikamaru glanced up at the odd pause and saw a new orderly whispering into Luthor’s ear.  The speakers were largely a confused hissing of rasping air, but Shikamaru thought he deciphered the words: “…seen in Jump City…”

                Luthor straightened up.  “Regrettably, Mr. Nara, it seems we shall have to defer that chess game.  Something very urgent has just come up.”

                Willing himself to look disinterested, Shikamaru answered, “Don’t let me keep you.  I think…”  But Luthor was already gone.  A few seconds later, the door clicked open and an orderly came in, squirted honey onto his bread, then left.

                Shikamaru grinned.  It couldn’t have worked any better if he’d planned it out.  Which, in a sense, he had.  Technically, with his hands unbound, he could use this interval to snare someone with his Kage Mane no Jutsu, but something warned him he’d be of more use as a prisoner in this facility.  It wasn’t as though he was exactly helpless.

                A moment later, his suspicions were proved right as a small fly began to hover over the honey-laden toast.  Shikamaru squinted at it, smirked again, and then slowly began to chant in Japanese.

                “ _Shino no konchu…”_

* * *

 

                “How many goons does this lady HAVE?”  Sakura muttered, smashing her way through a few more face-painted giants.  Granted, things were somewhat better in these hallways, where often the thugs couldn’t get their guns to bear in time, but the sheer number of them was getting troublesome.  Her hand flew up and stopped an incoming crowbar, which she happily bent in half before dislocating its owner’s jaw.  Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she ducked low and slammed an open palm into a nearby stomach, propelling another thug backwards through the adjoining wall.

                There was a lull as the others drew back for a moment.  She touched her ear.  “Batman?  Things are getting hairy in here.”

                “ _Deal with it_ ,” came the terse reply.  “ _Wonder Woman is still ten minutes out.”_

                “How’s the helicopter coming?”

                A crash outside answered her question and Sakura glanced outside to behold the not-so-cheering sight of Batman clinging to the underside of a chopper.  A burly man with a monkey wrench was leaning out the door, trying unsuccessfully to swat him with it.

                “ _I can handle it.  Stick to keeping that hallway secure.   And DON’T kill anyone_.”  The intercom clicked off and Sakura rolled her eyes.  She’d been patrolling with the Titans for months.  Why should she start killing criminals now?

                If she’d had time to reflect on the question, she might have had time to realize that Gotham was not anything like Jump City.  However, she did not have such time, as one of the thugs had just made an ominous grab for his pistol.  She shot across the intervening space and seizing his hand, crushing the bones in one quick squeeze.  A sharp pain in her side informed her that the man’s neighbor had seized the opportunity to knife her, and she whirled around with a devastating uppercut.

                She and Batman had intercepted the attackers just as they’d reached Nein’s stateroom and held them off long enough for security to hustle him away.  Strangely enough, though, the kidnappers, instead of relenting, had merely attacked even more ferociously.  Sakura wasn’t the world’s greatest detective, but she felt reasonably certain that wasn’t how they were supposed to act.  And then the helicopter had shown up…

                Batman had called in the others and they were coming as quickly as possible, but until then, Sakura had the floor to herself.  The guns were the only real problem.  Though she’d met guns in Jump City, these guys had more of them and they fired a lot faster.   And more accurately, if it came to that.  And Sakura couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something very, very odd about how the attackers were fixating on them.

                Bullets were whizzing now in the narrow hallway.  She ducked behind a potted plant and formed a quick henge, then trotted out as a harmless cat.  Apparently she’d pulled this trick once too often, as the bullets simply followed her, but she galloped, rolled and leapt her way to the main press of attackers.  She transformed in mid-air and landed on them like an avenging fury.

                The first man went down with a knee to the face.  The second made the mistake of hesitating to strike a girl and found himself being punched backwards into the third man.  The fourth, pistol still in hand, was just drawing a bead on her when she crushed the barrel and it exploded in his hands.  A pipe thudded against her back, knocking her to the floor, and she whirled upwards to punch number five in the stomach…

                It could be hard, especially with strength like Sakura’s, to judge what level of power would kill a man and what level would merely knock him unconscious (the League also frowned on crippling people for life).  Sakura had heard this was an issue Superman struggled with on a continual basis.  However, Sakura was a doctor as well as a ninja, and though ninjas didn’t ALWAYS worry about the use of excessive force, she nonetheless knew enough to figure out when to hold back. 

The only problem was, paying so much attention to something like that meant that she had less attention to spend on equally important matters.  Like where the windows were.

                _Oh shit_ , thought Sakura as the man crashed out the windows of the fifteenth story.  _Batman’ll never let me forget it if he goes splat on the pavement_.  Shoving a sixth man out of her way, she leapt out the window, lassoing a pillar with ninja wire as she did so.  She grabbed the man before his fall  could quite begin, let the wire swing her back down to the building, and prepared chakra for her feet to grip the surface.

                Only, when she hit the surface, she found she was out of chakra.

                _Damn miniscule chakra reserves,_ she thought as she scrambled for a grip on the pavement.  _Too much chakra enhanced strength and henges, and I can’t even climb buildings.  This sucks._ Glancing down, she caught sight of something and struggled to bring her hand to her ear.

                “Batman.”  She called.  “There’s a car on the ground level.”

                “ _Busy, Miss Haruno_ ,” growled the response.

                “No, it’s got a clown face on the front!”  She explained.  “And there are… it looks like security guards pushing somebody into it!”

                There was a short silence, then a muffled sort of cursing from the receiver.  Looking up, she saw the back end of the helicopter burst into flames.

                She also saw some of the thugs from the fifteenth floor eyeing her thin stretch of ninja wire.

                “ _The helicopter’s been sabotaged_!”  She heard.  “ _I’ve got to get the men out.  Get after that car!”_

                “I’m dry on chakra and hanging off the edge of the building!”  _At the moment_ , she added mentally, watching one of the men draw a knife.  “Just…” 

She hesitated.  Though giving orders came unfortunately naturally to her, something told her that Batman would not react to this well.  Especially an order that he leave the criminals in the helicopter to die.

In any case, she had no further time to think.  There was a sharp twang above her, and her anchor was suddenly gone, she was plummeting past the building, speeding toward the ground…

With a whoosh, something swept under her and caught her up, halting her fall and giving the world stability again.  “I’ve got you.”  Wonder Woman gave a terse smile.  “Where’s Batman?”

“H-helicopter.”  Sakura managed, still a little winded.  “B-but Harley…”

“I know.  I saw.  But don’t worry.  She’s headed straight for Lee and Robin.”

* * *

 

                “Come in, come in.”  Norman gestured the astonished teen into the office.  “I wasn’t getting much work done anyway, and I can wait a bit yet before going home.”

                “Thank you.”  Sasuke managed, glancing around the room.  There didn’t seem to be anybody else here.  But he’d distinctly heard another voice.  For the moment, he shelved the question and focused on sitting down in the chair.

                Rev. McCay took the seat directly opposite and adjusted his glasses.  “You know, I had a feeling you might show up.”  He beamed at Sasuke.  “I saw you during the service but didn’t get a chance to talk to you afterwards.  Did you enjoy it?”

                “Oh yes.”  Sasuke, of course, had toned out the entire talk to give thought to how exactly one would hide in such a bare building.

                “Glad to hear it.  I’ve always felt the story of Tamar to be somewhat neglected.  Perhaps a little inappropriate for children, but then…”  The minister shrugged.  “…children today, sadly, are not as young as they used to be.”

                “No.”  Sasuke agreed, not entirely sure where the man was going with this.  Just behind the minister’s chair, he could see something very like a safe.

                That should be it, then.  Perfectly simple.  All he had to do was vault over the desk, grab the old man by the throat, force the combination out of him, and snatch the money out of the safe.  And, of course, get rid of all evidence.

                That was all.  The desk was just so many wooden splinters between him and his task.

                All he had to do was jump…

                Just a single leap…

                And yet Sasuke stayed down.  For some reason he could not define, he felt incredibly uneasy about this whole job.  It didn’t make much sense.  He barely even knew what this building was, or what the people inside it had been doing.  He knew slightly more about this man, knew that he’d helped him recover, but so had Karin and Sakura.

                He really should just do it now, before this went any further.

                He would, in fact.

                But not just now.  No need to rush.

                He could do it anytime.

                Suddenly he realized that Rev. McCay had just asked him a question.  “I’m sorry?”

                “I said, was there something you came to see me about?”

                “Ah… yes, of course.  Of course.”  _Why on earth did I just say that?_   “It was… it was… I mean…”

                “Perhaps I’ll help you with it, shall I?”  The minister leaned back.  “I think you came here tonight for direction.  Yes, direction.  A young man like yourself, with so many talents but apparently no desire to use them, is lacking in direction.  You feel like you have no purpose, eh?”

                _No, you stupid old man, my purpose is to kill all those associated with my brother’s death!_ “Something like that.”

                The minister smiled, then grew serious again as he studied Sasuke.  “But you seem bitter.  You might not have direction, but that just makes you lash out every which way, so that you harm everyone, even those you know don’t deserve it.”

                “But they do deserve it.”  Sasuke found himself answering, to his own surprise.  “They all do.”

                “Oh?”  The minister raised his eyebrows.  “Why?”

                “B… because of what they did.”  Sasuke shook his head.  No, that wasn’t right.  Things were getting fuzzy here.  “Because of what they are!  Because they… they pretend everything’s all right!  They laugh and they lie and they just… they try to act as if horrible things haven’t happened!”

                Rev. McCay said nothing and Sasuke continued on, reckless in his fury.  “Ita… people have lied and suffered and died horribly, and everyone else just laughs!  They laugh, and they carry right on with their games and their friends and their, their, their stupid RAMEN!”  He wasn’t sure where that last bit came from.  “They don’t even care what he went through, so long as their little happy lives are intact!”

                Suddenly realizing he was shouting, Sasuke shut up and drew back inwards, glaring at McCay, daring him to make something out of the latest outburst.  The minister, though, said nothing for a while, simply sitting there, studying him thoughtfully.

                Finally he reached up and took off his glasses with a sigh.  “I see.”  He nodded quietly.

                “No you don’t!  That’s the whole point!  None of you see, none of you can understand, because you’re all pretending to be so happy!”  Sasuke was shouting again, and he felt a red mist rising in his eyes.   “You don’t see—”

                “And that’s it, isn’t it?  Not seeing.  Not being able to see.”  The minister’s voice cracked out suddenly like a whip, silencing Sasuke.  “The lack of understanding, the inability to comprehend the cruelty of the world.”  McCay was studying his desk, but his brow was deeply furrowed.  “Children who disappear in alleyways.  Families murdered in their beds.  Countries involved in meaningless wars.  Foxes, eating eggs with the chicks still inside them.  That’s what this is about.”  His gaze traveled upwards to meet Sasuke’s.  “Cruelty and evil taint every part of this world, and you want to know why.”

                Sasuke’s words caught in his throat.  That wasn’t it, that wasn’t it at all, but he couldn’t say so.

                “Alex, you’re right in that I can’t perfectly understand your situation, because I’ve never been in it.  Likewise, I’ve never been in the position of Mr. and Mrs. Whisterhorn, who’s two-month son drowned in the bathtub.  I’ve never been a Jack Anderson, a good Christian man who’s always loved his wife and just last week found out that she’s been sleeping with his best friend.  I’ve never been them, and I never will be.  So I’ll never perfectly understand them.  But I can try.”

                “A thing you learn early, in a job like this, is that there is a heartache in every pew.  There is no ‘perfect life,’ no one who is really nearly as satisfied as they seem.  And the other thing you’ll learn, is that everyone thinks his particular brand of suffering is the greatest.”  McCay sighed and stared at his Bible.  “Even well-fed people from happy families live their own private hell, day by day.”

                “They have no idea of hell,” snarled Sasuke, momentarily regaining his voice.

                McCay shrugged.  “That’s what they all say.  But how do you measure suffering?  There’s no standard unit of measurement, you can’t really compare your exact suffering to another’s exact suffering, because you’ll never experience it the same way they did.”  He held up a hand to forestall Sasuke’s outburst.  “Oh, doubtless some kinds of suffering are greater than others, but how can you know exactly?  How can you be sure your suffering is the greatest in the world?”

                With a sigh, McCay leaned forward and rubbed his forehead.  “Alex, as you get older, you’ll learn everyone suffers, and everyone thinks that they suffer alone.  Even if they share their troubles with others, they think their own brand of sorrow is special and incomprehensible by anyone else.  They feel like… like little dots.”  The minister, lost in thought, nodded at the analogy.  “Like little, isolated dots of suffering, completely separate.”

“And what so few people understand is that they don’t HAVE to be that way.  They don’t understand how to USE that suffering, to use it to understand others and to help others.  The dots don’t like to reach out to other dots, they don’t try to connect.”  McCay shrugged a little.  “As minister, that’s part of my job.  To reach out to the heartaches in the pew and bring them into contact with each other.  And, while I’m at it, to try and guess at the order to the dots.  To… connect the dots, as it were, and see the overarching pattern to it all.”

“And?”  Sasuke snorted, but his heart wasn’t really in it.  This place was creeping him out.  “Have you?”

“I myself?  No, no.”  McCay gave a sad little chuckle.  “Nor any other earthly minister, I wager.  But I believe there is one.  And the patterns I CAN find give me hope that there is a greater one.”

To his consternation, Sasuke found himself to be sweating.  This place was crazy, this man was crazy, he had to get out of here.  There was no need to kill this man, no need to rob this building, he’d just go back to the streets and work along like he had before…

Both minister and boy glanced up at the sound of a loud knock at the church’s front doors.

“That’s odd,” muttered McCay.  “Must be my night for unexpected visitors.”  He got up and exited the office, making straight for the entrance.

* * *

 

                “ _Robin, Lee.  Harley’s in a car headed straight down Vetinari Ave.  She’s got Nein with her.  Stop that car_.”

                “Yosh, Batman-sensei!”  Lee accomplished the difficult act of saluting-in-mid-run.  “Does the car have any distinguishing features?”

                “It’s probably painted like a clown.”  Robin guessed.

                “ _Yes_.”  Batman’s voice betrayed neither exasperation nor pride.  “ _Harley’s lack of subtlety helps us yet again.  Be on the lookout for tricks, though.  She’s being unusually devious.”_

                “Understood.”  Robin clicked off his communicator and nodded to Lee.  “The quickest way to Vetinari Ave is over the Havelock district.  Quick, this way!”

                Lee and Robin ran, leapt, and whirled through the maze of rooftops.  Lee’s wall-walking gave him perhaps an unnatural advantage, but Robin could quite easily make up for it with his grappling line.  Actually, Lee could probably have made better time on his own, but being still unfamiliar with the Gotham layout, he wisely opted to follow Robin.  They arrived on the street overlook a full minute before the bright red limo appeared on the opposite end.

                “That was… slow.  Odd.”  Shaking it off, Robin nodded at Lee.  “Mines.”   Both reached for their utility belts.  A score of small, ball-like object bounced to the ground below and deployed, sprouting numerous rods.  The red limo, still going at full speed, plowed straight over them.

                BOOM!  The explosion made the front end of the car rear up like a staggering elephant.  It flipped sideways, still barreling forward, and smashed off a nearby lamppost before finally grinding, bottoms-up, to a halt in the middle of the street.

                Lee and Robin had leapt down already.  A swift blow from Lee’s fist shattered the already-crushed windows, and Robin grabbed a fistful of the unconscious driver, hauling him out.  The few thugs able to move put up little resistance.

                “Damn!”  Robin gave the car a quick once-over.  “Batman, Harley isn’t in the car!  Neither is Nein!”

                “ _They definitely got in_ ,” came the terse reply.  “ _Check for hidden compartments_.”

                “I don’t think that’s it, Batman.”  Robin frowned.  “They got here later than they should have.  They must have switched cars somewhere.”

                “ _Must’ve been at Pratchett intersection.  Only suitable location.  That leads straight down to the docks.  Get down there_.”

                “They’ve gotta be miles ahead of us by now, Batman!”

                There was a short silence.  Then:  “ _Lee.  Activate: Handsome Green Beast Protocol.  Locate and apprehend Harley Quinn.”_

                Lee looked torn between joy and training loyalty.  “But Batman-sensei, that protocol is only to be used when…”

                “ _NOW Lee_!”  There was a slight crackle as Lee’s resistance suit slackened.            

* * *

 

                “No, I don’t really get it.”  Kiba frowned at the screen.  “First, this guy is way too fat to be a ninja.  Second, if he was a ninja, he shouldn’t be giving away ninja secrets like this.  And third, if these ARE ninja secrets, there some of the most bizarre things I’ve ever heard.  What’re these ‘minjas’ he keeps talking about?”

                Beast Boy rolled his eyes.  “It’s a joke, man.  A play on words.  ‘Minjas.’ ‘ Miniature.’  ‘Ninjas.’  Or: ‘Midget.’  ‘Ninjas.’  ‘Minjas.’  Get it?”

                “No.  What’re all these others, anyway.  Ninja poetry, Ninja school, Ninja History month?  What the heck, man?  And why does he always say he’s going to kill the questioner?”

                “Dude, I told you.  It’s a joke.  He’s just pretending to be a ninja and making up ridiculous answers about ninjas.  It’s supposed to be funny.”

                “Well, I don’t see what’s so amusing.  I’ve killed ninjas before, and I NEVER had to use any goats or pigeons or whoever this ‘Chris Rock’ guy is…”

                “That’s the POINT.”  Beast Boy groaned.  “It’s a bunch of incredibly ridiculous stuff that is obviously false.  It’s an over-exaggeration of what ninjas can supposedly do.”  He covered his face with his hands.  “I don’t know why I even showed it to you…”

                “Yeah, me neither.”  Kiba frowned at the screen.  “So whaddaya call this thing again?”

                “A computer.”

                “I know THAT.”  Shooting an irate glare at the changling, Beast Boy gestured at the screen.  “I meant all these… movie things on the computer.  Like where everybody can see them.”

                Beast Boy’s grin came back.  “Oh.  It’s called YouTube.  People from all over the world can stick up all sorts of ridiculous stuff on here for other people all over the world to see.  It’s pretty incredible.  You can find other stuff too.  Here.”  He clicked and then clicked again, and a new screen shot up.  “This is called fanfiction.  People write stories about comic book people and stuff like that.”

                “Do they write about you?”

                “Uh, NO?  I’m real life, dude, you don’t write about real people.  That’d be like people writing stories about you.  Creepy.”  Beast Boy clicked around some more.  “And see, this here is my Facebook page, where all my friends can see where I am and what I’m doing…”

                Kiba frowned.  “Are you nuts?  You never give away your position, it makes you too easy to trace.”  He studied the rest of the page.  “And putting out a schedule in public like that makes you easier to target and assassinate.  Providing a list of friends provides your enemies with hostage candidates.  Sheesh, this is practically a do-it-yourself bingo book.  Horribly unsafe.  Unless…”  A thoughtful expression crossed his face. “…is all this stuff false?  Like to throw assassins off track?”

                “No, man!”  Beast Boy looked at his friend, askance.  “It’s just for fun!  Do you guys see sinister motives in EVERYTHING?”

                Kiba shrugged, a little sheepishly.  “We’re ninjas.”

                “Okay, but this is just the internet.”  Beast Boy gestured at the screen.  “That’s not the point.  I mean, YES information is dangerous and yaddayaddayadda, but mostly this is just about talking with all sorts of guys all over the world.”

                “Like here.”  Beast Boy clicked and brought up the ‘Minjas’ tab.  “Look at this.  On this one video, you got people commenting from England, Japan, Cyprus, some place called Micronesia, and…”  Beast Boy squinted.  “Antigua.  No, sorry, that’s Barbuda.”

                “What’re they?”

                “Some islands off the Caribbean, I think.”  Beast Boy shrugged.  “But see?  You get all these people from all over the world commenting and talking together about this movie!  It’s awesome!”

                “But this comment here…” Kiba pointed, “…is utterly ludicrous.”

                Beast Boy glanced at the comment.  “Oh.  Yeah.  Well, that’s the other thing about the internet.   It allows any idiot to express themselves.”

* * *

 

                Harley was nervous.  No, Harley was frantic.  Okay, so her plan with the security guards had gone off well.  Okay, so nobody seemed to be following her after the car switch. 

                None of that changed the fact that this caper had been the most difficult yet.  Worse, she felt pretty sure it wasn’t going to get any easier.  Batman was closing in on her, and that was the fact.  Heck, he could be tailing the car now, for all she knew.

                Her captive stirred in the back seat.  “ _Vas?  Vas ist_ …”  He winced and brought a hand up to his head.  “ _Gott in Himmel_ …”

                “Quiet.”  Harley ordered, glancing meaningfully at the thug sitting across from the doctor.  She turned back to the driver.  “Drive faster, Moe.”

                “I’s pretty sure we lost ‘em, Miss Quinn,” ventured the burly muscleman, still clad in his scarlet security guard costume. 

                “We always think that.”  She snapped in reply.  “Drive faster.”

                “Yes miss.” 

The Volkswagon Beetle picked up speed as it dashed in and out of traffic.  Relaxing momentarily, Harley let her head dip back to the seat.  She wasn’t used to this.  Puddin’ always handled all the capers, all the funny jokes, all the bombs and knifings.  She just took care of the housework.  Y’know, filing away the evil plans, sorting his gas canisters, paying the thugs, getting brain and bloodstains out of the carpet… little details like that.  When it came to planning, Puddin’ did everything.  If he didn’t, he got mad.  That was never good for Harley.

But now SHE had to do everything.  She had to find the doctors, had to hijack the right medical equipment, had to find a good place to dump the bodies (she never did the actual killing—that was Moe’s job).  And she just knew she was doing it wrong.  It probably wasn’t even funny.  No laughing gas, no acid sprays, no exploding cream pies.  Puddin’ wouldn’t like it at all when he came back.

When he came back… Harley let a little dreamy smile float back on her face.  Oh, he’d be angry, and he’d probably slap her black and blue, but that was just his way.  In time, he’d come around, and he’d be so grateful, and he’d say, “Harley, my one and only babydoll, let’s fool around and…”

There was a sudden green blur by the car.

Instantly Harley was bolt awake.  “DRIVE FASTER!”  She screamed.

Moe’s white face flashed at her.  “We’re goin’ as fast as we can already, boss…”

“DRIVE FASTER!”  She screamed again, tugging him into her face.  “They’ve found us, they’ve found…”

The glass shattered on the left passenger side.  Nein was gone.  Then the right passenger side.  Now the guard was gone.  Moe swore and reached down, but he hadn’t so much as taken his hands off the wheel when the driver’s window broke apart.  Harley caught a fleeting glimpse of his feet as he was ripped away from the seat.

Harley flailed herself at the spinning steering wheel, her hands grabbing at it furiously.  But they were going too fast and the street was too full…

The window next to her shattered.

* * *

 

                “Ah, Neji.”  Shino nodded as the Hyuuga hurried forward.  “Good, we were hoping you’d show up.”

                Neji ducked into the dark room, glancing furtively about as he did so.  “Shino.  How was the briefing with the Justice League?”

                “One moment.”   Shino’s fingers wove in a seal and released.  “Raiton: Jibashi!”

                Lightning shot from the boy and coursed through the room.  The lone light in the ceiling flickered and then exploded, even as the electronic door lock fizzled and smoked.  Shino, Neji, Sai, and Naruto simply sat, watching the lightning.

                As quickly as it had come, it was gone, and the three were left in complete darkness.  “Dude, I still can’t get over the fact that you know a technique like that.”  Naruto chuckled.

“It is not difficult if it is kept small.”  Shino shrugged.

                “Quiet!”  Neji hissed, the veins about his eyes taut.  “There are thirteen metas in the nearby area but none of them seem interested in us.  The martian in the control room has not yet noticed the electrical discrepancy.  Superman…”  Neji hesitated.  “…Superman is still in the base...”  Apparently coming to a decision, he shook his head.  “We’ll have to risk it.  This is too important.  Now.  Shino.”  He turned his bulging white eyes to the teen.  “Your news.”

                “I met with the League.  They know the attacker is related to Juugo.  They came to the same conclusion as I did.  They intend to trace Luthor by tracking shipments of the required technology.  Their analyst also has substantial information regarding Juugo’s makeup.”

                “All the better.  Juugo is not Konoha’s business, he is Sound’s.  The League is more than welcome to handle Juugo and his clones.  Now.  Did you tell them about your insect tag?”

                “No.   They did ask if I had other means of tracing him but did not press me on the matter.”

                “Excellent.”   Neji grinned in the darkness.

                “Are we sure Luthor is the one behind the Juugo clone?”  Naruto had a worried look on his face.   “Be kinda awkward if we attacked the place only to find out it’s some other guy who DOESN’T have Shikamaru in his base.”

                “Destroying Juugo’s records would still be in Konoha’s interests.”  Sai answered.

                Neji shook his head.  “Perhaps, but not enough.  When the moment comes, we will need to strike decisively and completely, then vanish before the League can trace us.  If we do not acquire Shikamaru first, we run the risk of the League obtaining him and holding him hostage.”

                “Which renders our further objective—the execution of Uchiha Sasuke—more difficult,” added Shino, his sunglasses glinting in the already-dim light.  “Why?  The moral code of this Justice League will induce them to spare his life, prolonging the matter and leaving him an opportunity to escape and wreak further havoc.”

                Naruto’s eyes narrowed.  “I thought we hadn’t yet agreed what we were going to do about Sasuke.”

                The other three exchanged glances, or as well as they could in the gloom.  “Yes.”  Neji said, noncommitedly.  “But whatever we decide, Sasuke is still a Konoha matter, who should be dealt with by Konoha.  And, when it comes down to it, we ninjas know him better than these heroes, and know better how to keep him in check.  They cannot be trusted with the matter.”

                “I agree.”  Shino nodded.

                “I also.”  Sai dipped his head.

                The others turned to Naruto, who was shaking his head.  “I don’t like this.”  He muttered.  “These people aren’t that bad.  Superman’s a cool guy, I’m sure he’d… They’re trying to help us, for pity’s sake!  I’ve learned all sorts of cool moves this past month!  And you guys have too, you know it!  Sai, you’ve picked up some stuff from that Green Lantern guy, and Shino, you wouldn’t have even known how to do electromagnetic pulses a few weeks ago, and Neji…”  Naruto frowned a moment.  “…Neji… is that a bow you have on your back?”

                “They’re not… bad, no.”  Neji dodged the question.  “And they’ve been very helpful.  But they’re not ninjas, and they don’t quite understand what’s at stake.  To them, Sasuke is a temporary nuisance, a foreign criminal who they just want to dump back in Konoha.  They don’t really take him seriously.  That’s why we have to.”

                The others nodded, and Naruto sighed.  “Fine… I agree too.  But look, try to keep this as a last resort thing, okay?  You guys never met this Luthor dude.  I did, and I can tell you one thing, you’re not taking him seriously enough either.  We may want the League’s help with him.”

                “Very well.”  Again the nods, somewhat more reluctant than before.  “Sai, what do you have to say?”

                “I’ve managed to scout out most of the hallways in the complex,” answered Sai.  “It’s amazing how many people will ignore you if you’re annoying enough.  So far as I can see there’s no completely safe route from our quarters to an exit.  We’d need a distraction or an excuse to already be outside the tower.  Oh… and I think they may be putting tracers on us.”

                “Tracers?”  Shino arched an eyebrow.  “My bugs perform a cavity search every day, they have never found anything.”

                Naruto and Neji said nothing, but their faces were frozen.  Even Sai looked like he was trying very hard not to think of that image.  “I think,” he said carefully, “that the tracers are planted in our food.  I’ve noticed we receive special meals each day.”

                “Hm.  Interesting.  Impossible to refuse them, though, without attracting suspicion.”   Neji worried his lip.  “We’ll work something out.  Good to know.  Shino, what have you found?”

                “Nothing of consequence.  My bugs have traveled throughout the building but have found no unusual chakra signatures or anything of interest.”

                “Have you looked in Section B on the third sub-basement?”

                “The laboratory?  No, why?”

                “Hey, yeah!”  Naruto suddenly sat up.  “You’re right, I felt something weird coming from there a few days ago.  I was going through the sage mode routine and counting all the people and stuff and… it was just there.  A funny feeling.  Nothing more, though.”

                Neji nodded.  “I can’t quite see what it is, or at least I can’t understand what I’m seeing.  It looks like a chakra signature, though, and I’m not sure what the League would be doing with one.”  He turned to Shino.  “Could you and your bugs look into it?”

                “Certainly.”  Shino’s head inclined slightly.

                “Good.  Now when should we meet next?’

                There was a moment of silence.  “We should bring in the others,” said Naruto finally.  “I don’t like all this sneaking around.  Anyway, they’re going to have to know about it before we put it into action, so we may as well let them know now.”

                The others slowly nodded again.  “Day after tomorrow, perhaps.”  Neji suggested.  “Near the middle of the day.  That’s the slow period for crimes, and they usually give us some time off then.”

                “Agreed.”

                “Agreed.”

 

* * *

 

                “Lee hasn’t quite learned how to drive,” explained a strange voice.  “He couldn’t completely stop you guys from crashing.  Just be glad it wasn’t worse than it was.”

                Harley tried to focus on the voice.  It sounded brisk, businesslike, but there was just a hint of concern in it, and a bit of apology too.  It certainly didn’t sound like any of the Batclan.

                “Anyway, it’s a good thing he got the others out of the car first.  He was hoping to get you out before the driver, but he saw the guy going for his gun.  That was too dangerous.”  The voice gave a little worried giggle and Harley realized it must be a girl.  “So he kinda had to improvise.”  The voice floated in front of her and became attached to a blur of pink.  “Nobody else was really hurt, but you’re going to need some therapy, let me tell you.”

                “Don’ need therapy.”  Harley slurred.  “Don’ need it.  ‘m a doctor.  Gi’ m’self some therapy.”

                “You’ll do nothing of the sort.”  The voice scolded.  “You’ll lie still.  It’s as much as I can do already to move those ribs of yours into the right position.”

                Harley realized that her left side felt very warm indeed.  Instinctively, she tried to investigate and encountered sharp pain.  “Aaah!”  Black specks danced across her vision and she felt herself about to pass out.

                “What did I just say?  Now lie still.  The only reason you’re not in handcuffs yet is because I told them we couldn’t move you in this state.  The last thing we need is you moving yourself.”  The new darkness cleared away to show a girl with shockingly pink hair and brilliant green eyes.  A strange glow was lighting her face from below, but Harley didn’t dare cock her head to see what it was.

                Something in the fog of the last hours drifted to the front of Harley’s mind.  “Nein…”  she muttered.

                “Yeah.  We got him.  He’s got a killer headache and he says he’s never coming back to Gotham, but other than that he’s fine.  Same for your other two guys, except for a small concussion from Lee giving them each a little tap on the skull.”  The girl did not quite suppress a smirk.  “Still, nothing the medics here couldn’t handle.”

                “No…” Harley moaned, her failure sinking in at last.  “Puddin’…  I’m sorry… I tried… Puddin’…”  Distantly, she noticed the girl’s face falling, but she could not spare to wonder about it.  Her mind was consumed with her failure.  She hadn’t been able to bring him back.  She’d lost the doctors, lost the equipment, and now she’d lost herself.  She couldn’t help him anymore, not from jail.  Puddin’ was gone.  He’d never come back to her.  It would never be… like it was.

                She relapsed into gloom, allowing the girl to finish whatever she was doing with the ribs and work toward wrapping up her side.  She didn’t even object when the girl lifted the bandage on her head and frowned at it.  Sure, the ointment she put on her forehead did help, but that was a mere background detail to Harley.  Her failure loomed large in her eyes, and as the handcuffs clicked around her wrists, it was all she could do not to cry.

                “Hey, um…”  The pink-haired girl looked up from the handcuffs.  “Batman told me about your… relationship with the Joker.”

                Harley sniffed and looked away.  Batman.  Always Batman.  Always coming in between her and her Puddin’, ruining what could be a happy life (well, happy in the segments when Puddin’ wasn’t kicking, punching, or generally ignoring her).  What did he know about a girl’s hopes and dreams?

                “I… um…  I just heard about it, and I… I wanted to tell you…”  The voice lapsed into awkward silence for a moment and then continued.  “I… I think… I know what it’s like… to love some guy who… who’s just a complete bastard and who doesn’t care about anyone… and yet… and yet he… and yet you know… you think he’s got this bit of him, deep down, that can still work out, and that can really care about you.”

                Harley turned to look at the girl, who was biting her lip and playing restlessly with her fingers.  There was a curious glimmer in her eyes.

                “And I know… it’s hard… because you don’t care how he is to others, or if he is good or bad, or if he’s a killer, so long as he’s your killer, and… and… and you have moments…” the girl gulped and plunged on, “…you have just moments, when you think you see this… this other side, and you live for that, and you think that maybe you can get that side to show and then you… you live for that.  Live for that momentary glimpse.”  She was staring Harley straight in the eyes now.  “You stay with him because you feel you have to love him, and you live for those tiny moments, because in those moments you’re in this world of hope, where everything… everything’s all right.”

                Harley stared at the girl, wondering at her.  But slowly, slowly, she shook her head.  It was no use.  She’d talked to thousands of doctors, hundreds of ministers.  She knew everything this girl said was true and more, but she also knew she couldn’t do a damn thing about it.  Heaven help her, she loved a murdering psychopath, and she always would.

                She didn’t say any of that, but the girl nodded anyway.  “Yeah.  I know.”  Slowly the pink-haired girl stood up.  “Take care.”  She called, and moved away, nodding to the officials. 

Police and medics began to cluster around Harley.  As they did, she cast a last glance after the girl.  She saw her walk over to the sidewalk, where a heavily bandaged teen clad in green spandex was sitting.  He glanced up as she came forward, and the girl examined his bandages, his compresses, the sling his arm was in.  She knelt down next to him and tightened the straps holding his splint in place. 

The words floated to Harley through the hubbub.  “…told you not to move, Lee… bad cut there, that glass…  …should have jumped out of the car, you might’ve gotten killed…”

And the boy was nodding, and smiling, and rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed fashion, but he didn’t really seem to be focused on the words.  He glanced at the pills the girl held out and picked them up with a bow of thanks, but he didn’t take them.  And when the girl reached out and nearly hauled him upright, he blushed bright red.

Harley couldn’t be sure, but it looked like the girl blushed too, briefly.

* * *

 

                “Excuse me, miss Hinata.”

                The simple statement temporarily froze the young Hyuuga in the doorway, but slowly she turned and bowed.  “T-terrific-san.  Good evening.”

                “Indeed.”  Terrific nodded politely, though he did not go so far as to bow.  “Did you have a good dinner at Rev. Freswick’s?”

                Hinata colored slightly but merely nodded.  “Th-they were k-kind enough to invite me over after the s-service.”  She admitted.  After a moment’s hesitation, she added, with hint of censure, “Y-you didn’t have anyone w-watching…”

                “No, no.”  Terrific waved his hand irritably.  “No, we are not having you tailed by the Creeper.  But just so you know, when you’re living in the same building as some of the greatest detectives on the planet, you’re not likely to have many secrets.”

                Hinata nodded, but her eyes narrowed slightly.  “A-and are you one of th-these detectives?”

                Raising an eyebrow, Terrific answered.  “Not… really.  If the need strikes, I can make deductions, but it’s not my specialty.”

                “Oh.”  Hinata looked as though she was still puzzled on a few points, but she dropped the matter.  “I-is there something you needed m-me for?”

                “Not needed, per se, but there are a few… matters you could help me with.”  Terrific tapped the ends of his fingers together.

                For a Main Branch Hyuuga ninja, Hinata was not especially observant.  But then, a specially observant one could probably have counted Terrific’s heartbeat from three miles away and determined any blood diseases he might have.  For a teenage girl or even a teenage ninja, Hinata was pretty good at reading faces and body language.  And right now, she could read that Mr. Terrific was a little… well, she would almost call it flustered.

                “Like?”

                Terrific closed his eyes and breathed deeply a moment.  Then his eyes shot open.  “Where did you hear the name ‘Spectre?’”

                Blinking, Hinata re-oriented her mental gear.  “E-excuse me?”

                “Spectre.  The name.  As in, the proper name, referring to an angel.  Where did you hear it?”

                “He t-told it to me.”  Hinata was still blinking, trying to see where all this was going.

                “You mean the man you met in the Noodle Restaurant?”

                “Yes.”  Hinata could really not see where this was going.  “Um… is that important?”

                “Possibly.  Possibly.”  Clearly thinking hard, Terrific nodded without really listening.  “It is just possible that…”  He shook his head suddenly.  “Ah, how would he know of that?  And anyway, it doesn’t explain the rest.”

Catching Hinata’s worried stare, Terrific sighed.  “Look, could we sit down?  This may take a while.”

“O-of course.”  Hinata followed the man to one of the benches lining the walls and sat next to him, waiting.  The scientist, apparently still thinking, rested his chin on his hand and stared at the opposite wall for a moment.

Finally he spoke.  “You’ve probably heard of my wife and child.”

“Er…”  Hinata HAD, of course, but it was a little disconcerting that Terrific knew that the ninjas passed on information like that.  “Sakura mentioned something about it.”

“Indeed.  Well, if she’s mentioned that, she’s also probably told you about the delusionary episode that convinced me to take on the identity of Mr. Terrific.”  Terrific pinched the bridge of his nose momentarily.  “Sorry, this is not exactly a… pleasant memory.   But I bring it up because in the midst of my delusions, I hallucinated a creature called the Spectre.  He was the one who showed me Terry Sloane’s life, giving me new purpose.”

Hinata said nothing, unsure of where this was going.

“Of course, the Spectre, as a legend in magic circles, is well known enough.”  Terrific shrugged.  “Everybody always talks about him, though precious few actually have seen any evidence of him.”  Terrific snorted suddenly.  “Typical of magicians.  Perhaps I had heard of it in an idle moment, and it manifested later in my subconscious.  But you’re the only… person I know of who has claimed actual contact with the Spectre.”  He turned to regard her strangely.  “And it’s VERY odd that the name you gave him—James Corrigan—is the same as the one in my dream.”

He leaned in a little closer, fixing Hinata with his eyes.  “I don’t think you’re lying… you don’t seem like the type who’d deliberately trick us.  And there’s no way any of you could have learned enough to make up a story like that anyway.  But at the same time, I think there’s something very important you’re not telling us.”

Hinata still said nothing.

“Who was the old man, Hinata?  The one who told you to meet the man, the one who automatically knew your name.  He’s the missing piece in all of this.   Psychic, magician, lucky guesser, I don’t know, but he’s behind an unbelievable coincidence and I intend to root it out.”  Terrific’s eyes bored into her.  “This is more than just the League, Hinata.  I need to know this.  For my own sanity.”

Hinata was struggling not to say anything.  There really wasn’t any reason to hide it, she knew, after all, Rev. McCay hadn’t done anything and these men would understand and really she was only making things worse for everybody like she always did and oh she hated to be a burden…

But at the same time, she felt that her relationship with Rev. McCay and the Spectre was a secret trust, to be shared only by them.  Oh, Naruto had found out by accident, and everyone knew about the Spectre now, but Naruto was keeping it secret, and the Spectre could pretty much disappear.

So why should Rev. McCay, kindly old Rev. McCay, have to bear all the scrutiny of the League just for befriending her?

“Who is he, Hinata?”  Terrific was still there.  “I need to know.”

Hinata took a deep breath.  _Don’tthinkdon’tthinkdon’tthinkdon’tthinkthinkthink…_

Terrific leapt to his feet as Hinata reared back with a scream.  Heroes came running from either side of the hallway, but the scientist motioned them back as Hinata rocked to the floor, clutching her temples.  “In a dream in visions of the night when deep sleep falls upon people as they slumber in their beds he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings…”  She muttered.

Terrific knelt down next to her.  “Hinata?  Are you alright?”  Glancing at the others, he hissed, “Any of you a psychic?”  The scattered heroes shook their heads.

“I have been in danger from rivers and danger from bandits…”  Hinata’s skin was warm, yet somehow not feverish.  “I cried like a swift or a thrush I moaned like a mourning dove my eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens I am threatened lord come to my aid!”  A sharp moan accentuated the words.

“Get some medics down here!”  Terrific snapped.  “Back up now, give her space to breathe!  Here, help me elevate her legs!”

“Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you…  For a fire will be kindled by his wrath, one that burns down to the realm of the dead below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains….”  Hinata’s eyes cleared suddenly.  “Son of man…”  she whispered, “I have made you a watchman for the people, so hear the word I speak and give warning… from… me…”  She paused and looked around at the gathered faces.

Slowly, she reached up to her head.  “That’s… never happened to me before.”

“Hinata?”  Terrific watched her carefully.  “Are you alright?”

The Hyuuga girl turned a pair of wide white eyes on him.

“ _Things are about to go very badly_.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke, for reasons he could never articulate, had followed McCay out of the office, so he was standing at the far side of the sanctuary when the old man opened the doors.

                “Ye—“

                Gunfire erupted from the entryway and ripped into the preacher, jerking his body like a little puppet.  Sasuke watched in suddenly clear shock as red blossomed across the back of the minister’s turtleneck sweater.  With barely even a groan, Reverend Norman McCay toppled to the floor and lay still.

                The odd shock dissipated.  Sasuke knew a danger when he saw it, already he was dodging along the wall, leaping, swerving, running around the gunfire.  The windows were barred and they were in the only door, but if he could knock one of them down…

                Then suddenly there was another explosion, and where the five armed men had stood moments ago, there was suddenly a sort of lingering red fog that drifted sickly to the floor.  A moment’s further study revealed bits of red-stained armor and weaponry, scattered around the immediate area.  Even the ceiling had a few bits littered on it.

                The bald man standing in the center of this ruin beckoned to Sasuke.  “It seems I got here just in time.”  He muttered.  “Quickly, more are coming.  You must come with me before they arrive.”

                “Oh?”  Sasuke had not lived as long as he had by trusting just anyone.  “And who are you?”

                The bald man smiled and extended an obscenely clean hand.  “I am Luthor.  I’ve been looking for you for some time, Uchiha Sasuke.”

               

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick plug here: I've recently started using my blog to post my unused story ideas, including some drabbles I wrote for my dream Marvel/Naruto crossover: "Section 11". If anyone's trolling for ideas, feel free to grab a few. https://afalsteinjdkloosterman.wordpress.com/


	25. Reunion

 

                “The Raikage’s losing his grip on things.”  Shikaku leaned against the wall of the Hokage office, a deep frown underlying his grim words.  “This attack is insane.”

                “Desperate.  Desperate sounds better,” commented Kakashi idly, surveying the charts on the table before him.

                Tsunade, seated on a low couch across the opposite wall, shook her head.  “I think enraged would be more appropriate.  His brother’s death hit him hard, you know that.”

                “Enraged is good.”  Kakashi nodded, glancing up.  “But desperate still fits better.  The loss of the Hachibi is tactical as well as personal.  Not only does Madarra get even closer to the Juubi, he gets all the Hachibi’s chakra.  Which, as we know, allows him to form even more Zetsu soldiers.”

                Tsunade shrugged.  “Those are so much kunai fodder.  The alliance has been slicing them to bits, what difference are a few more, or even a few thousand more, going to make?”

                But Shikaku was shaking his head.   “We’re not talking a few thousand.   The Hachibi is the second-greatest beast, its chakra would increase Madarra’s holdings exponentially, especially now that he’s kidnapped Yamato.  Based on the makeup of the Zetsu’s we’ve examined, we could be looking at anywhere from twenty to thirty thousand more attackers.”

                Tsunade’s eyes widened.  “Twenty thousand?”

                “The one chance is that Madarra probably hasn’t formed them yet.”  Kakashi rubbed his headband-covered eye.  “So a strong attack, right now, has a good chance of smashing the reinforcements before they become a real problem.”

                “I understand that bit,” growled Shikaku.  “What I DON’T understand—“ he crossed the room in two quick strides and jabbed a finger at Kakashi’s charts, “—is the decision for the Kumo group to go straight up the center like that.  Or the decision for the Alliance leader to be at its head.”  A snort escaped him.  “Or rather, I think I understand, but I don’t agree.”

                “No.  And you and everyone else made that rather clear at the meeting.  But the Raikage IS the leader, for better or for worse.”

                “Not for much longer, if he keeps it up like this.”

                Kakashi nodded ruefully.  “Mifune did think, at the beginning, that his brother’s death would make him too volatile.”  He sighed and rubbed his eyes again.  “Never thought being Hokage would involve so many troublesome politics.”  Turning to Tsunade, he suggested hopefully, “I don’t suppose you’d want your old job back?”

                “Ha.  Not a chance.  I took the job for that brat, and I think I did alright, but my time’s over.  I did my part.  Anyway, switching leaders in wartime generally doesn’t go over well.”

                “Thought you’d say that.”  Kakashi sighed, slumping in his seat.  “But if something doesn’t change soon, Kumo will be changing leaders, and so will the alliance.  I don’t want to think how THAT might end up.”

                “Could be you,” grinned Tsunade, clearly enjoying this.

                “Don’t even say that.”  Kakashi scratched at his headband.  “Man, I must’ve gotten some dust in my eye or something.  Anyway, we have bigger problems.  With the Hachibi taken, Madarra will be able to concentrate fully on the Kyuubi.  He might find a way to follow Naruto.”

                “How?”

                “I don’t know, do I?”  Kakashi gave an irritable shrug.  “But if he does, Naruto’s all by himself in that dimension.  Well, he’s with the other rookies, but you know what I mean.”  His finger worked up under the headband and began to massage his hidden eye.  “Madarra could take the last tailed beast without using any of his Zetsus at all.”

                Tsunade stared glumly at the bottle of sake in her hand.  “We need to get that brat back.”  She muttered.  “Are you sure there’s nothing you can do?”

                Kakashi tried to shrug while still rubbing at his offending digit.  “There’s one idea, but it’s kinda… AAAGH!”

                Shikaku and Tsunade started backwards as Kakashi leapt from the desk, clutching at his left eye.  “AAUGH!  AAAAAAHHHH!”   Ripping off the headband, he doubled over, still gripping his head firmly.  “OhH… AAGgggh…”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Another dimension away, Luthor froze in mid-step, eyes narrowed in concentration.  _What was…_

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Neji, apparently lying asleep in the League lounge with a book over his face, sat up suddenly, knocking off the book and revealing a vein-framed pair of white eyes set in a very confused expression.

 

 

 

* * *

 

                “It’s gone.  We’ve lost it.”

                Mr. Terrific sighed and rubbed his forehead.  “I could’ve sworn we were getting something for a second there.  A concrete signal, I’m nearly certain of it.”

                “I caught a flicker of a ceiling and some floors there, for a moment,” volunteered Steel.

                “At least a moment, yes.  Back up the viewfinder and play through the images, slowly.”

                The gathered scientists watched the screen in silence.  The video had no sound, obviously, but there was a great deal of light.  First, the screen was totally black, but a positive black, as if they were looking out at something.  Then light flashed and the images wavered up, down, around, and then all the way around to the floor, where some fingers closed over the  viewfinder and spasmed for a bit.

                “Nothing after that, looks like.”  Terrific said after a few seconds.  “Go back to 0.23, will you?”  The screen wavered and fixed on a blurry image of the room.  “Thought so.  Play it through at about a quarter of the speed.”  The images started to move.  “Freeze.”

                Again everyone studied the screen.  “Quite the fine figure of a woman,” chuckled Steel.  “Wonder if the kids know her phone number.”

                “I’m more interested in the symbol on the wall behind her.”   Terrific pointed.  “That’s the Japanese kanji for ‘ho,’ fire.  Hokage means fire shadow.  Land of Fire, Fire Shadow…”  He gestured.  “That might be it, right there.”

                “Could be coincidental,” warned Batman, speaking for the first time.  “The word ‘fire’ could be written there for any reason.  Fire escape, for instance.”

                “Or it could be symbolic.”  Terrific sighed.  “Yes, you’re right.  Still, it’s a start.”

                “A start, yes, but hard to verify until we get a more reliable power source.  Where’d you get this one from?”

                “The girl Sakura.  Apparently she makes these pill things all the time, they’re supposed to fill soldiers with chakra.  It’s harder here, obviously, but she’s found out how to somehow.”

                “Yeah, well…”  Steel eyed the empty plastic container.  “…she better learn how to make a bunch of new ones FAST if we’re keeping on like this.  This gadget used up ten of those things in five seconds.”

                “Pills aren’t going to cut it.  We’re going to need something else.  And, while we’re at it, someone who can actually recognize whatever it is we’re seeing.”

                “Time to tell the ninjas, then, you think?”  Batman arched an eyebrow.

                Terrific shrugged.  “At least time to bring it up before the dimensional committee.  I’ll prepare some stuff to show the rest of the League how far we’ve gone and see what they think.”

 

 

* * *

 

                “Stop me when you see my finger.”  The technician’s hand slowly moved about Sasuke’s head.

                Sasuke remained staring forward alertly.  “Now.”  He indicated.

                “Good, that’s normal vision range.  What color is it?”

                “Green.”

                A sigh broke from the man.  “Oh, bother, those nodes must be confused again.  Half a moment…”  he consulted the computer in front of him.

                Little nerves twinged along Sasuke’s face but he ignored them.  His mind was elsewhere.  Why should he care about the old man?  He’d been seconds from killing him himself.  He’d have done it earlier but… what was the old man to him?  He’d helped him once, talked to him a few times—what was that?

                Perhaps there was something… abrupt about the way he’d died though.  To be cut down like that while opening the door.  Sasuke did not consider whether he ‘deserved’ it, deserving was not a big part of Sasuke’s worldview, at least to people who were not Itachi.  But the man had been shot down prematurely, he felt.  Before he’d had time to say… whatever he might have said.

                “Alright, now can you see my finger?  What color is it now?”

                “Pale pink.”

                “Damn!”

                Sasuke took advantage of the lull to reach up to his head and feel the smooth metal where his empty socket used to be.  His new ‘friend’ was not remiss in his presents, at least, this new eye functioned remarkably well.  It was a relief to have some depth perception back.  For a moment, he contemplated testing his new vision by stabbing the technician, but dismissed the thought as soon as it came.  The man was still working on his eye!  How was he supposed to get decent vision if he killed the man responsible?

                “See the finger?  What color?”

                “Purple.”

                “Excellent!”  The technician slid the glove off his hand and beamed.  “There now, the color is all calibrated, the vision range is normal, and it even has a telescopic function for you to use.  All your old eye had and more!”

                “Hardly.”  Sasuke replied coldly, examining the eyepiece in a mirror.  Rather odd, seeing that orb of metal and glowing glass embedded into his skin.  Odder still, looking through it at it.  He reached up again to touch it, just to assure himself it was real.  No, it was no Sharingan, but it would do.

                The Sharingan… with that thought came the thought of who had cost him the other one, and who had cost him his chakra.  Sasuke’s eyes narrowed in concentration.

                “Where is Luthor?”  He heard himself ask.

                “Here, Mr. Uchiha.”  Sasuke half-turned as the door whooshed open to admit a smiling Luthor.  “And I am eager to show to you all we have to offer.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Even assuming the girl’s ‘prophecy’ was valid, it’s far too vague to take any definite action.”  Terrific winced.  “A general premonition that ‘things are about to get worse’ could mean just about anything.  Scientifically speaking, one might even say that things are ALWAYS getting worse, in the sense of constantly decreasing energy and order.”

                “But Hinata’s warning could presumably be an indication that things are getting even worse than normal.”  Superman pointed out.  “Even if we don’t know the specific danger, we can at least put the base on high general alert.”

                Green Lantern nodded.  “Already done.  All League leaves have been canceled, the heroes are coming in.  We should be at full strength by tomorrow, until then, everyone’s on alert.”

                “Good.”  Superman turned to Batman.  “How’s the search for the Juugo clone coming?”

                “Cloning technology is still supposedly illegal in most countries, so sales of it are notoriously hard to trace.  Still, a firm in Korea sent out several shipments of high-quality cloning equipment that were all seized by pirates.”

                “A trifle coincidental, that.”

                “Indeed.  As is the several billions of dollars appearing in their accounts, supposedly from ‘investment returns.’  However, tracing the deliveries is a little more difficult.  Nearly all the pirate ships were lost in freak storms in the Southern Pacific”

                “Freak storms.”  Superman rubbed his forehead.

                “Not hard to guess what’s behind that.”  Wonder Woman shared a glance with the rest of the table.  “But with magic like that, why not teleport them the whole way?  Why all this fuss with shipments and pirates and stuff?”

                “More subtle. Less noticeable.  Missing equipment would get reported.  Missing ships might be investigated.  Nobody cares about missing pirates.”  Hawkgirl shrugged.

                “The shipments were supposed to be going to a firm in South America,” continued Batman.  “A front organization, obviously, but its address matches with similar orders—and incidents—for arms shipments, electronic gear, and mercenaries.”

                “Just one front organization for all that?”  Green Lantern frowned.  “Luthor’s getting sloppy.”

                “He’s confident.  He thinks with these storms, no one’s going to notice.  And he’s right.  If we hadn’t been looking for it, we wouldn’t have.”

                “But once Bats is on the job, he gets it all.”  Flash flashed a grin over at the crimefighter.

                Batman winced slightly.  “Actually, I got most of this from Question.  He noticed the connections months ago, he just thought it was part of the Girl Scout Collective.”

                There was a muted groan from around the table.

                “The point stands, he found the connections.”  Batman reminded them.  “And this went quicker because he did.  It’ll take a while to trace the front organizations, and even if we do, Luthor will probably be nowhere near.  But it’s a start.”

                “Good.”  Superman nodded.  “Keep at it.  Now, for the next item… Terrific, you said you had news on the dimensional portal?”

                “Yes.”  Terrific stood.  “It’s functional.  I even think it’s calibrated in approximately the right area of the multiverse.  However, there’s no well of telling for sure until we get some input from the ninjas themselves.  In any case, we’ll need more power for it to work properly.”

                “You think it’s time we told the ninjas about it.”

                Terrific gave a silent nod.

                “I suppose, now that it’s working…” began Superman.

                “Whoa, whoa, whoa.”  Flash raised his hands.  “Pause and rewind here.  What do you mean, ‘right area of the multiverse?’  How tricky can this be?”

Terrific drummed his fingers on the table for a moment and finally answered.  “The Russian historian, Mikhail Bakhtin, pictured the world as separated into thousands of fragmented modes of thought. He considered that there was an overarching whole to these separate ‘dialogues,’ but that trying to fuse them all would inevitably cause them to lose their uniqueness.”

                “Huh?”  Flash arched an eyebrow.

                “It’s a theory of history.”  Batman threw the speedster an annoyed glance.  “Literature too.  In essence, it means that every person has their own point of view, and that all these perspectives are part of a whole.  But if you try to create that whole by mixing them all, you lose the personality.  Either they all become subservient to one, or they all war against each other in chaos.”

                “A vortex.”  J’onn nodded.

                “So… what does a literary theory have to do with this whole crisis?” asked Hawkgirl.  “I mean, it’s fascinating and all, but… what’s the point?”

                “Well, if you apply it to our situation here—crossed worlds and all—there’s a further extension.  Suppose all these separate worlds, with their different unique facets, were themselves part of an overarching whole.  To put it more simply, suppose the different universes are simply fractured versions of a theoretical whole universe.”

                “There’s a legend on Oa about that sort of thing.”  Green Lantern frowned.  “But… I still don’t see the application.”

                “Until now, we’d always assumed that the universe would bear some resemblance to Earth,” continued Terrific, apparently oblivious to Lantern’s question.  “There was even a theoretical ‘Earth Prime’  assumed to be epitome of the fractured universe.  But the insertion of the Konoha nins adds a whole new level to the equation.   The whole universe might be nothing like ours.  Earth Prime might be Konoha Prime.  OUR universe might be a reflection of THEIRS!”

                “My head hurts.”  Flash groaned.

                “And, once again, the application of all this?” asked Superman wearily.

                Terrific paused and blinked at the lot of them.  “Well… there isn’t much, actually.”  He admitted.  “All this is purely theoretical.  There are plenty of interesting philosophical and scientific implications, but unless you had someone monitoring the whole multiverse from the outside, it would be impossible to test.”

                Hawkgirl sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.  Superman closed his eyes.  Flash looked completely lost, and Batman, predictably, looked like nothing at all.  “You DID ask him how complicated it could be.”  He pointed out.

                “There is… one small application.”  Terrific insisted.  “In order to reach the Konoha multiverse, we need to use something to find it.  An anchor, I suppose you could say, or a piece to match the right reflection.”

                “The Sharingan.” 

                “Exactly.  Without it, we might never have gotten this far.  It’s a stroke of luck that boy Uzumaki tore it out of the boy’s head, or I might still be wasting time trying to grow one.”

                “But if it’s an anchor…”  Superman’s eyes narrowed.  “…that’ll mean it has to stay here, won’t it?”

                Terrific shrugged.  “It would be hard to suck the projector inside itself anyway.”

                “They won’t like that.  Certainly not the white-eyes boy.”

                “What’s to worry about?  We can’t use it, not without chakra.  And no one else on their world can get to it, because it’s stuck here.  Seems like the perfect way of disposing of it.”

                “That’s not the point.”  Batman shook his head.  “It’s a weapon of their village.  A resource.  They can’t just leave it here, they need to take it back.  Someone else might steal it, or we might develop another way to use it.”

                Flash smirked.  “Cloned Sharingan babies, anyone?”

                “Not funny,” sighed Superman.  “Look, one way or another, they have to know.  They’re going to learn about it sometime, and it seems the best time is now, when we can actually show them some results.  Personally, I don’t see how they have much of a choice if they want to get home, but still, their call.  Set a meeting up with them tomorrow and have the Naruto guy supply the power.”

                Terrific nodded.  “It’ll take some fine-tuning of the chakra receiver, but I’ll see if I can get Sakura to help me with that.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Near god-like power, you say.”

                “Indeed.  And with your help, Mr. Uchiha, it could be BEYOND god-like.  We could achieve a level of control that not even the gods possess.”

                Sasuke simply grunted.  Contrary to what everyone assumed, he did not particularly care for power as power.  He was only interested in power to avenge his brother by killing everyone responsible.  Power in this world, therefore, meant little to him.

                However… he thought of Johnny Rancid and the gangsters on the street and the strange silent man in the green trenchcoat.

                “Tell me, what can you do with this… power?”  He said aloud.

                “Anything I want to,” came the reply, masked in a dark chuckle.  “I can shape the earth as I see fit, move whatever I desire to wherever I desire, take away life and grant it in a heartbeat, form weather, and change minds.”  A malicious smile was growing on Luthor’s face.  “The laws of physics and mortality do not apply to me.  I am invincible, immortal.”

                Sasuke’s mind focused in on one aspect of that conversation.   “Change minds?”

                “Only slightly.”  Luthor was once again completely professional.  “And certainly not yours, not with that neat little eye in your head, no.”  The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

                Apparently denying anesthetic for the eye implant had been worth every nerve twinge.   You didn’t have something like the Sharingan (at least for very long) near someone like Orochimaru without learning to take certain precautions.  Then again, they could have easily knocked him out when they injected the local anesthetic.  He should have thought of that.  Still what was he to do?  He would have passed out otherwise.

                Part of him wondered what would happen when Luthor learned that he still could not use the Sharingan.  He decided to keep that information to himself for the moment.

                Luthor was still talking.  “I cannot draw information from a person’s brain nor can I… alter their underlying self.  Not yet, at any rate.  It is certainly possible for me to exit this body and possess the mind of another, but the effort would kill my old body, and I happen to like this one.  Apart from that, I can merely plant information, or rearrange it, I cannot affect how they use that.” 

                Sasuke stored the information under “Weaknesses” and put a question mark next to it.  Would a man as smart as Luthor seemed to be tell him his shortcomings in the first meeting?  “Tell me, can you find men, half a world away?  There are a few people who I owe… some favors to.”

                “Mr. Uchiha, if I could do that, I should have found you before the League soldiers did.”

                _League soldiers._   Sasuke wondered.  He hadn’t had a good look at the men Luthor killed, but he couldn’t help but think that some of the armor walking around and saluting to Luthor looked very familiar.

                “No, I am not omniscient.  I cannot find ANY man.”  Luthor gestured Sasuke ahead of him into a room.  “However, if it is some of your fellow ninjas you’re looking to revenge yourself upon, I can offer you something.”

                Sasuke looked down from a glass-covered balcony at a prone Shikamaru.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “You’ve made excellent progress so far, Ino-san.”  The green martian smiled kindly at the girl.  “I think it’s time we moved on to something new.”

                Ino, sitting on a low stool just before her teacher, shrugged a little nervously.  “Okay, sensei.”

                “You already know how to read minds and transmit thoughts.  With practice you’ve learned how to probe the unwary mind, and you’re making a good beginning on probing the wary one.  But for now I want you to take a break from that, and focus on reaching out and _finding_ minds.”

                Ino, just taking a cautious bite from the Oreo on the desk, froze.  “Reaching out?”

                “Precisely.”  J’onn nodded.  “In order to find the mind you want, you must open yours to the world.  But only lightly, only in passing, or you will risk another vortex.  You will need to skim the surface thoughts only, get just enough a feel of their mind to know that it isn’t the one you’re looking for.”

                “This sort of thing… this is like what I was doing… before, right?”  Ino bit her lip nervously.

                “Yes.  But you were not trained to handle it then, not as you are now.”  J’onn leant forward and touched the teenage girl on the shoulder, briefly.  “Ino, remember what I’ve taught you.  Mind, body, spirit… all are a false distinction.”  A strange look crossed his face momentarily.  “Admittedly, that’s easier for me to remember than you.  But you need to remember it regardless.  Your mind needs to be as controlled as your arm, as natural as your instinct.”

                “Now.”  J’onn sat back.  “Start by just thinking at me.”

                Ino closed her eyes.  It wasn’t necessary, but for her, it helped.

                _Fresh coolness in a desert full of life.  Silence blows across red hills in the shifting sea of changing patterns changing amidst the dark pillars of Oreos over bloated white caverns…_

_Well done child.  Here you are again.  Now, draw back, but do not let go.  Use my mind as an anchor._

_Pulling out into void void cold and yet cool, fresh breezes blowing in the stars of… more breezes raising a cacophony of silent planets and flying bats amidst the amazons of hell…_

_Careful child.  You’re delving too deeply.  Back up.  Start again._

_Floating out above the sand, remember the sand, see the sand it whirls about your face feel the air about the breezes and the colors of their scent…_

_Bats flying in the alleyway of pearls…_

_Flying colors parading along the avenue of dreams where lanterns dangled from the windows…_

_Webs meeting webs in the chalkboard of fatality, a paperclip fell and all the web was changed…_

_Careful with Question’s mind, child.  It can be volatile._

_Cathedrals and crosses frowning on the lump of dirt as fire raged amidst the…_

_The numbers leapt and dived in intricate dance amidst the glorious patterns just above the abyss of uncertainty…_

_Hear the record player playing as the streets rained blood amidst the glare of gaslights…_

_Layers upon layers of complexity, zooming in and out of each other supporting the framework…_

_Good, you are scanning properly.  Now try to find a mind you know.  Say, the boy Chouji._

_Insects in the ears eyes nose of the great thought of the churning land even the ground lived…_

_Steel of sand and the swords of friendship clashed and raged in the boiling dust where bats flew amidst the palm trees…_

_Houses of honor and rigid stature, sealed with looming eyes and behold the rock at its base…_

_Fighting biting tooth and claw all red in the wild thin paper of town and comrades…_

_A toy town no less real from ground and buildings loomed around you until they shrunk out…_

_A fragile bubble kept out the winds of rage while inside a small barbecue entertained a small…_

                Ino opened her eyes.  “Found him.”

                _Indeed.  But you should not have left so quickly.  Where is he?_

                After a moment’s hesitation, Ino responded, _Lower levels of tower wide room great sweeping walls beneath a light of…_

                “Close enough.”  J’onn spoke, allowing her to fully return.  “He’s in training room four on sub-level three.  But then, I’m familiar with this tower and you’re not, so you couldn’t be expected to recognize it.  Do you think you could find your way there?”

                Ino frowned in concentration.  “Mmm… Maybe?”

                “Let’s try.”  J’onn stood and indicated to Ino that she should do also.  “That was very good for a first attempt.  It helps if you’ve had a mind read of the person earlier, that way you know the feel of their mind and can recognize it more readily.  That’s part of the reason why I can’t find your friend Shikamaru, I don’t think I’d recognize his mind if I saw it.”

                “Would I?”  Ino’s face took on a suddenly thoughtful expression.

                “Perhaps.  But he would be very hard to find, especially since you haven’t ever felt his mind before.  In your session just now, you only really felt the minds we’ve practiced on before… ones you already knew.  Without any real experience of your friend’s mind, I don’t think you’d be able to pick up on him.”

                Ino didn’t answer.  _But… when I was crazy… I did feel him.  For a second._               

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke couldn’t remember much about Shikamaru.  In their genin days, he’d marked him down as a lazy idiot who would never amount to anything.  In the chunin exams, he’d had a passing acquaintance with the boy, but had never really seen either of his battles.  He suspected they must have been fairly boring affairs.  For some strange reason the boy had made chunin before anyone, but he’d stayed there the rest of his life.

                None of this particularly garnered Sasuke’s respect, or his anger.  He vaguely recalled the bored-looking chunin as being part of the Konoha attack force that tried to kill him, but couldn’t remember what his role had been.  Couldn’t have been important.

                He turned to Luthor.  “Where’s Naruto?”

                “The Uzumaki boy?  We never got him.”  Something about that line sounded vaguely wrong, but Sasuke had no time to examine it.  “The League got to him first.  The others too.  We were fortunate to snag this one.”

                “Mmm.”  Sasuke turned to leave.

                Luthor stopped him with a hand on his arm.  “One moment.  Would you like to talk to him?”

                Sasuke stared at him.  “Why?”

                “Oh, I think you’ll find he’s quite an interesting conversationalist.”  Luthor’s hand emerged from his pocket, waving a remote.  “Shall we?” 

                The button was punched before Sasuke could object, and the windows went clear.  Apparently just waking up, Shikamaru gave the porch a casual glance, then another marginally keener glance.  Only the slightest quiver of the eyebrows betrayed his surprise.  “Hullo.”  He yawned.  “Here to play chess, Sasuke?”

                Sasuke only glanced at Luthor and raised an eyebrow.  Smiling as if enjoying a private joke, Luthor leaned closer to the glass.  “No chess today, Mr. Nara.”  He said.  “As you can see, I have bigger games to play.”

                A shrug expressed Shikamaru’s lack of interest.  “Oh.  Well, so long as you’re not involved in anything _serious_ , then.  I don’t suppose you have something else in mind to keep me entertained?”

                “I’m sure you can find something, Mr. Nara.  You seem to be most resourceful.”

                The chunin’s dismissal of him irked Sasuke, and he stepped forward to the glass too.  “Comfortable?”  He sneered.

                “Yes, thanks,” drawled the teen.  “And yourself?”

                “I am… well.”

                A yawn answered him.  “Cool.  Luthor talking you into his big world-domination deal?”

                “He spoke of it.”  Sasuke allowed.  “ _Talk into_ ,” indeed.

                “Ho yeah, he loves to talk about it.  Sharingan this, and sharingan that.  What I’ll do once I have the Sharingan, yadda yadda yadda.”  Gesturing casually with one hand (Sasuke noted, to his surprise, that Shikamaru was not bound), the chunin gave the balcony a lazy smile.  “He must be as pleased as punch to have finally got ahold of you.”

                _Got ahold_?  Sasuke raised an eyebrow, feeling a vague unease at all this talk of the Sharingan.

                Another yawn broke from Shikamaru.  “Anyway, I suppose now you’re here, things can finally get down to business, hey Luthor?  Weren’t getting a whole lot done, but now you’ve got a handle on this guy’s power, you might be able to pull something off, hey?”

                Luthor tapped Sasuke on the elbow, proffering the remote.  “I can send an electric shock through his system by pressing that.”  He offered.  “Would you like to?”

                Purely out of curiosity, Sasuke took the remote and pressed the button.

                “YAAAAAAGH!”

                Amusing but pointless.  Sasuke clicked the remote off and handed it back to Luthor with a shrug.

                Down below, Shikamaru was gasping on the bed.   “Y’know…”  He managed, “I think I’m getting used to that.  Even feels kinda nice.”

                “Really?  Well, since I’m feeling generous today…”  With a little smile, Luthor pressed the button.

                “YAAAAGH!”

                “Every so often he needs to learn some respect.”  Luthor told Sasuke over the screams.  “He enjoys making fun of those more powerful than himself.  Otherwise, a model prisoner.  Brilliant chess player.”  He clicked the electricity off.  “Shall we go?”

                With an almost desperate effort, Shikamaru hurled himself back into consciousness.  “Why… don’t… you take… him to see Karin?”  He wheezed.  “And… the others.  I’m… sure… he’d love… to see them?”

                “You have Karin here?  And Juugo and Suigetsu?”  Sasuke turned on Luthor.  “You didn’t mention that.”

                There was a decided tightness to Luthor’s face.  “Just Karin and Juugo, I’m afraid.”  He laughed.  “As it happens, we were going there next.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “So you say chakra can be used to form ANY element.  As in, atomic elements.”  Sakura was frowning.

                Mr. Terrific raised an eyebrow.  “You know about atomic theory?”

                “We know about ‘elements,’ though we prefer to call them base classes.”  Sakura rolled her eyes in exasperation.  “I’m a medic, we DO occasionally use chemistry, you realize.  Atomic theory, from what I’ve heard… well, it fits with a couple of the ideas I’ve heard floating around.  No practical application, all abstract.  But we have a slight understanding of it.  ‘Element’ means something different to us, it describes one of the five types of chakra affinities: earth, water, wind, fire, lightning.”

                “The four classical elements.”  Batman nodded.  “The Greeks came up with them, though they didn’t think of lightning.  How does this affinity manifest itself?”

                Sakura, who had quirked a curious eyebrow at the word ‘Greeks,’ shrugged her shoulders.  “Essentially, by what kind of elemental jutsus the person can use.  Air types can form blades of air, Water types can generate and control water, and so on.”

 “So the elemental ‘types’ describe what kind of atomic manipulation the person is capable of, what sort of elements they are best suited to form.”  Mr. Terrific frowned.  “But earth, air, and water are not composed of any one element, they’re all mixtures of different compounds.  That seems unnecessarily taxing.”

                “Except you say you generally use materials already existing in the environment.”  Batman interjected.  “So it’s not direct creation, just manipulation.  Hence it would be easier than making a straight atomic model.”

                Shaking her head, Sakura explained.  “No… that’s how we train.  Usually, in an actual battle, you have to actually create the element.  It’s just easier if that element is nearby.  But what’s confusing me is this element ‘affinity;’ it doesn’t seem to fit into your system.”

                “I must confess I don’t see it either.”  Mr. Terrific agreed. “By rights, it ought to be easier to make a material purely out of, say, iron, than make one formed out of several different elements.”

                Sakura’s eyes grew distant.  “Yes… but perhaps it’s simply the way the elements are composed together.”

                “Wait a minute.”  Batman narrowed his eyes.  “The Greeks’ four elements roughly correspond to the four states of matter—solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.”

                “If the ninjas have a similar system, perhaps their ‘element affinity’ actually refers to the ease with which they can form or manipulate the various states of matter.”  Mr. Terrific nodded.

                Sakura’s  eyes were darting back and forth.  “So water types just find it easy to create elements in liquid form, wind types to manipulate elements bound in gaseous form, and earth types like me…”  Then she shook her head.  “But no.  That doesn’t work.  Earth types can’t manipulate iron, or ice, or anything like that.  Only ninjas with double affinities—kekkai genkai—can do that sort of thing.”

                “Possibly because neither thinks it’s possible.”  Terrific suggested.  “Earth users assume Ice is something Water users can do, and Water users KNOW they can’t make ice.  Or even, perhaps…”  His eyes grew a little distant, “…if your people don’t have an exact understanding of atomic theory, perhaps it’s that their own mind doesn’t quite understand what it’s trying to form.  Whereas someone who’d grown up around ice, or iron, or lava, would have a mind more used to it.”

                Sakura nodded, her interest growing.  “So to someone with a more exact knowledge of atomic theory, like me, and the proper chakra control…”  Her voice drifted off.

                “Tell me.”  She said suddenly.  “Do you have a block of… I don’t know, some elemental metal?  Something light and strong?”

                Batman looked to Mr. Terrific, who shrugged.  “I can’t say for sure, but we probably have something.  Titanium would most likely be your best bet.  Why?”

                Sakura’s grin was almost feral.  “I’d like a pair of axes.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Miss Karin,” called Luthor’s voice across the laboratory, “we have a visitor I think you’ll be interested in seeing.”

                Sighing wearily, Karin brushed the hair back from her face and turned, standing as she did so.  “Yes, Mr. Luthor, I’ll…”  She stopped in mid-sentence as Sasuke came into view.  

                “Sasuke-kun!”  She took a half-step forward, fighting back her impulse to run to him.  “You’re here!”

                “Mm.”  Sasuke nodded, walking right up to her and looking her over.  Now that she had the chance to study him, she noticed that he looked a little… different.  Rougher, somehow, but also more attentive.  Somehow more sympathetic.  And, of course, he was now sporting a cybernetic eye.

                Luthor came up right alongside.  “We were fortunate enough to smash the League’s attempt to capture him.  For the moment, he is taking shelter.”

                “I do not take shelter.  I do not hide,” insisted Sasuke, glaring at Luthor.

                Too flustered to note the odd tension, Karin hastily brushed off her labcoat and straightened her glasses.  She tried to adopt a coy posture.  “Well… fancy meeting you here,” said she, with an attempt at a laugh.  “Things have been so dull without you.”  Casually, she brushed back her hair.  As she did, her fingers touched the explosive implant and she winced, ever so slightly.

                Sasuke, noting the discomfort, moved forward and, utterly oblivious to Karin’s blush, moved back her hair to expose the mechanism.  Turning to Luthor, he raised an eyebrow in query.

                “A device to ensure her cooperation.”  Luthor smiled easily.  “Nothing mental, of course, we would never risk harming her mind.  I apologize, but you must understand the need for precaution in these matters.  We’ve never needed to use it.”  A simple look at Karin told her to keep silent about what it did.

                Sasuke shrugged.  He’d worked alongside Orochimaru for three years.  In comparison to some of the things he’d seen there, this was rather clean.  Stepping away, he let Karin’s hair fall back into place.  “What have you been doing here, Karin?”  He asked, noting the new bite marks on her hands.

                “U-u-u-um cloning,” stammered Karin, still recovering from Sasuke’s action.  “Cloning Juugo’s DNA.”  She repeated more firmly.  “We’ve managed to isolate the cursed seal blood and find a way to administer it without inducing madness.  We’ve even…”  A hint of pride crossed her face, “We’ve even managed to add a third transformation.”

                “Really?”  Again Sasuke glanced at Luthor.  “I’d be interested in seeing that.”

                Luthor nodded.  “I thought you might.  Miss Karin, please bring the images onscreen.”

                “Yes sir.”  Karin sat down and turned to face her computer.  “It’ll take a few moments, we’re having some difficulties with the system today.”

                “Let me see.”  Stepping directly behind her, Sasuke leaned over her shoulder, as if to study the computer screen.  Karin could practically feel his breath on her ear.

                “ _That device on your neck… what does it do_?”  The whisper was so low, even Karin could barely hear it.  “ _Don’t talk, just move your lips_.”

                Karin suppressed a shudder, knowing Luthor was watching. _Explosive_.  She mouthed.

There was a momentary silence, then:  “Does my new eye have something like that?”

 _Probably_.  Luthor did that a lot, but would he risk it on someone he needed as badly as Sasuke?  As deadly as Sasuke?  Karin rethought her statement and mouthed: _Definitely._

 _“I see.  I’ll need you to do something about that, then.  When we have a moment alone…”_   Karin shuddered again, but for a wholly different reason, _“…I have something else for you to do.  My chakra isn’t functioning properly.”_

So _that_ was why she hadn’t sensed his arrival.

“Everything alright?”  Luthor asked pleasantly.

“Quite well, Mr. Luthor,” replied Karin, surprised at how calm she kept her voice.  “I have the images now… bringing them onscreen.”

Without even a blip, the screens came alive.  Lights and colors danced across the screen as half-naked men—and women—fought in single combat in various rooms scattered throughout the base.  One screen showed a more urban-like practice area, where test subjects were ripping armed guards to pieces.  Another showed weapons practice… clones learning rudimentary military skills.

“The third transformation you mentioned?”

                “Oh, we can easily induce one.  Miss Karin, use it on subject 16.”

                Karin tapped a few keys, and instantly one of the single combat screens lit up.  In a moment, the losing party of the battle roared, threw his opponent off of him, and leapt to his feet.  Bone-like fins erupted from his back and blue chakra surrounded him as his eyes grew dark and vacant.  He leapt on his opponent, grabbed his arm and snapped it in half.  The legs next.  He was just reaching for the throat when Luthor called out, “Miss Karin, if you please…”

                Karin had been waiting for the order and instantly clicked the “Subdue” button.

                Even as Subject 16 reared back for the kill, the fins were falling limp, subsiding into his natural flesh.  His movements became sluggish, more difficult, and his body began to shake in an odd manner.  Finally, his eyes lolled back and he collapsed to the floor, tongue hanging out.

                “We can control the dosage of the tranquilizer.”  Luthor explained.  “We haven’t quite fine-tuned it to control exactly what stage it regresses to, but it’s only a matter of time.  Trial and error.”

                “Mmm.  Interesting.”  Sasuke had very little interest in armies.  He barely had interest to spare on teams.  “And where is Juugo?  I presume you have him too?”

                Luthor nodded.  “This way.  Miss Karin, perhaps you’d better come too.”

               

 

* * *

 

 

                “These are basic maps of the best routes to leave the Metrotower.”  Neji was speaking.  “Commit them to memory and then destroy the copies.  All exits are worth noting, but especially make sure to familiarize yourself with the route from your quarters, because any attempt will probably be made at night.”

                “Jeez, when did you guys make all this?” grumbled Ino, adjusting her map.

                Neji shrugged modestly.  “I provided the diagrams.  Sai investigated all your rooms and devised the least observed routes.”

                “That’s… kinda creepy.”

                “I don’t get it.”  Tenten frowned.  “What’re you guys so paranoid about these guys for?  Compared to my last place, this base is pretty awesome.”

                “The League seems to be training us to work with them more than to work by ourselves.  Given that, it seems they are planning to induct us into their ranks, which, advisable as it might be, is a state of conflicted loyalty.”  Shino adjusted his glasses.

                Neji gave a short nod.  “And again, there’s Sasuke to consider.  We don’t want the League butting in on that.  It’s a Konoha matter.”

                Most heads around the circle nodded, but a few did not.  “B-but…”  Hinata quavered, “…we might need their help.  We’ve tried to f-fight Sasuke tw-twice now and it hasn’t w-worked… maybe, with their help…”  Her voice died away in the looks she was getting.  Ninjas, of any caliber, dislike being told they need help.

                Surprisingly, though, Shino spoke up for her.  “Hinata raises a legitimate point.  Our past efforts have met with failure.  Note, though, that both times we were lacking our full strength, whereas it is to be hoped future efforts will be better coordinated.  Moreover…”  Shino glanced around the circle.  “We have, all of us, grown stronger in our time here at the Metrotower.  We have gained new abilities, acquired new tactics.  And this, most importantly, gives us a new edge over Sasuke.”

                “Certainly, if the League captures Sasuke, things will become difficult.”  Neji said.  “We may not be allowed to terminate him, perhaps maybe not even take him back to Konoha.  He might even escape and the whole thing begin again.  The risk is too great.”

                “We’re not planning to kill Sasuke,” cut in Naruto’s peevish tone.  “Try to remember that.”  Ostensibly, this meeting had been called together by Naruto and he led it, but so far all he’d done was sit at the head looking ueasy.

                Neji avoided Naruto’s gaze.  “Of course, of course.”

                “There is still the matter of communications to discuss.”  Shino motioned Ino forward.  Ino will contact you all telepathically if there is a need to leave urgently.  If possible, she will provide details, but most likely it will only be the message.”

                “So how am I supposed to know?”  Ino looked rather nervous.

                “This bug…”  Shino indicated the insect in his hand, “…will come to you.  When it does, you will know that I, Neji, or Naruto have given the order to leave, and contact the others accordingly.”

                “How will the bug find me?”

                “It will find you.”

                “Shino,” said Neji quickly, before Ino could give that fact too much thought.  “There’s something I want you to look into.”

                “Yes?”

                “That room on the bottom level that we were talking about before… I picked up some unusual activity there about two hours ago.  Looked like a chakra signature.”

                Shino nodded.  “I see.  Then perhaps it’s time we fully investigated that.  Also, Sai… did you find anything about the tracers?”

“Yes.”  Sai nodded.  “The communicators given to us by the League are rather obvious tracking devices, but I think there’s another, more subtle device they’ve employed.  There are little… things in the food that keep track of movement and vital statistics and things.”  A smile spread across his face.  “To counteract this, I have not eaten anything in days!”

Silence greeted this admission.  Finally, Neji turned to Shino.  “Perhaps we could induce vomiting?”

“I may be able to short them out using my electricity jutsu, now that I know about them.  Fairly harmless.  Anything else?”

                Sakura spoke up.  “Yeah, I’ve got a little item that might be useful.  I’ve been talking to some of those League people, and Hinata’s told me a few things, and I’ve got a theory.  You know how our powers don’t seem to work as well in this world?”

                She received a series of nods from those around the room.  “Well, at first I thought it was just because we weren’t used to fighting people without chakra… like Neji, you can’t see the chakra pathways, so you can’t aim for the vital spots as easily.  Sasuke probably can’t use his Sharingan quite to its full potential here either, since it reads chakra pulses from the opponent to predict movements.  And Naruto, your sage ability can’t sense chakras that aren’t there, so your sensor ability isn’t quite as reactive as it used to be.”

                “Makes sense.”  Naruto nodded.

                “Not completely, it doesn’t,” Neji objected.  “It doesn’t explain why Naruto can’t use his wind jutsus as easily anymore, or why Sai’s ink jutsu isn’t functioning.”

                “Or why I need to eat so much to replace my energy.”  Chouji agreed.

                Ino rolled her eyes.  “Yeah, that really seems to be bothering you.”

                “It doesn’t explain everything, you’re right.”  Sakura interjected, breaking the argument before it could begin.  “But then Naruto told me how it’s harder for him to gather natural energy now, and Hinata suggested that this world—not just the people, but the world, is actually devoid of chakra.”  Frowning a moment, she turned on the girl.  “By the way, where did you get that idea?”

                Hinata looked down.  “A-a friend t-told me.”

                “Hm?”  After a moment of looking puzzled, Sakura shrugged it off.  “Anyway, it’s the implications of the idea that interest me.  If our world actually has chakra infused everywhere, and this world doesn’t, then it explains a lot.  We can’t manipulate the elements—” she grinned momentarily “—that’s another fun thing, by the way— quite as well because we can’t use the chakra that’s normally infused with it.  Ink from here doesn’t work for Sai, because it doesn’t have the inherent chakra either.  And Chouji…”

                “…can’t recover his strength as easily because there’s no chakra in the food he’s eating.”  Ino finished for her.  “Not bad, billboard brow.  It almost makes sense.”

                Neji was nodding also.  “It certainly explains why Lee, whose abilities do not rely on chakra, is the only one of us who is not seriously affected.  But then… how do we overcome this handicap?”

                “I don’t know about your Jyuuken, and I can’t think of anything for the Sage mode sensing ability.”  Sakura confessed.  “But I DO have an idea about the elemental jutsus.  Here’s something else the League guys and I discussed…”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “I observe he’s tied down,” noted Sasuke coldly.

                Luthor threw him an exasperated look.  “Of course he is.  The man’s been practically raving mad since he got here.  Even with half a pharmacy of drugs doping his system, those restraints just barely hold him down.  Would you rather have us let him rip up every man in this base?”

                “Strange sentiments from a man with power over life and death.”  Sasuke leaned closer to the glass.  “As it happens, I am familiar with Juugo’s… condition, and also of the precautions taken.  However, I also know this condition hasn’t troubled him in some time.”

                Seeing this as her chance, Karin jumped into the conversation.  “I know, Sasuke-kun, and I’ve been observing him continually, but I can’t understand what’s going on.  He hasn’t been himself at ALL here.  At Orochimaru’s base he at least had periods of lucidity, but here…”

                “He was lucid once, during an… odd episode here.”  Luthor interposed, silencing Karin with a look.  “But he was far too confused to get much out then.  Based on what I’ve been told, I think this condition is actually more psychosomatic than physical.”

                Turning, Sasuke arched an eyebrow.

                Luthor smiled.  “I mean the transformation stems from fear.  Your friend Juugo fears being free, fears accidentally harming those around him.  Thus, he’s calmer in the presence of those powerful enough to control him.  When not around such people…”  Luthor gestured at the raving madman below, “…he grows far too nervous, and triggers his transformation.  Which, ironically, will only make him MORE afraid when he awakens and finds how many new people he’s killed.”  Folding his hands behind his back, Luthor allowed himself a little smile.   “A vicious circle.  Quite the interesting study, though.”

                “You think this, do you?”

                “Oh yes,” nodded Luthor, and then a cloud passed over his face.  “However, the experiment I set up to test this did not go well.”

                Sasuke didn’t ask.  “Well, I’m here now.”  He remarked, turning back to the glass.  “That should calm him down.  I want him out of those restraints, now.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The Metrotower was a fortress, a prison, a medical facility, an embassy, and a small airport all wrapped in one moderately sized building through the genius of Mr. Terrific, Atom, Batman, and several other associated heroes.  It compressed millions of essential features and made them fit into spacious, graceful rooms and hallways.  It was a hub of international events.

                In such a building, quiet spots were hard to find.  But Hinata, with her sense for such things and her Byakugan vision, had found one.

                About three-quarters of the way up the Metro Tower, the fifteenth floor gave way to a slightly-smaller sixteenth floor, leaving a small flat space upon which to walk.  Mostly, it was used to stick heating units, spare pipes, and electrical utilities which hadn’t QUITE fit into the interior.  However, the architects had not overlooked it’s recreational value either, and had thoughtfully installed a railing ringing the makeshift balcony.  (A railing that could be electrified or folded back to provide a shield for the other utilities in case of attack). 

                It was not a very nice spot, although the view was lovely, and the little use it DID get was mostly from heroes dying for a smoke (More heroes did this then was believed, but they tended to keep it, as much else, secret).  It was quiet, though, and serene, and that meant a lot to Hinata.  In the Hyuuga manor, she had always had time alone.  True, sometime she had more time alone then she liked, but nonetheless she’d learned to use and enjoy quiet contemplative moments, and the unused balcony was a good place to do just that.  The knowledge that security cameras were watching her every move did not bother her in the slightest, she’d always had THAT in the Hyuuga manor too.

                Which was brought her here, to the railing, leaning over and looking out across Metropolis.  The sun was just beginning to lower behind the taller buildings, and its reddening light glinted off a thousand windows in the city below.  From the depths of the streets echoed the everyday sounds of the city… honking cars, bustling people, whirring machinery, the occasional wailing siren… all sounds that had become familiar to Hinata over her stay in this world.

                Whenever possible, Hinata came to this balcony at sunset, to watch the city go home from work.

                This night, she was watching it so closely, she didn’t hear the creak of the door onto the balcony, nor the light crunch of ash as someone approached.  A pity, for no ninja made noise unless they wanted to, and this one was obviously hoping to be heard.

                Finally, he had to clear his throat, and Hinata nearly jumped away from the balcony.  “Na-naruto-kun!”  She hastily made a small bow.  “I—I didn’t know you were there!  I… I…”  She cast a longing look over the balcony at the city.  “…I… was just leaving…”

                “Um… actually…”  Naruto coughed.  “Would you mind staying?  I haven’t really… I mean, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in a while.”

                Hinata blinked.  “St-st-st-stay?  Here?  W-w-w-with you?”

                With a little awkward shrug, Naruto nodded.  “Well… yeah.”

                Swiftly Hinata considered her options.  Naruto was between her and the nearest door.  The other one was clear on the other side of the building.  Over the railing waited a fifteen-floor drop, full of security measures and shatterproof glass to keep anyone from breaking in.  Up the wall waited the same security measures and some high velocity winds.

                Hinata swallowed.  “O-o-kay.”  She nodded.

                Taking the acceptance at face value, Naruto moved forward and leaned against the railing next to her.  He seemed nervous, indecisive, and for a long time, he didn’t say anything.  Hinata, even more nervous, if possible, didn’t say anything either.

                They stood there, saying nothing to each other, for about a full minute and a half.  They stood there so long, in fact, that Hinata started to relax a little bit and enjoy the sunset again.

                And then Naruto coughed.   “I’ve… uh… I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now.”  He said, staring off at the city.  “But… things were a little crazy right after Gotham, and after that I was busy training with Superman and after that…”  His voice trailed away and he looked at her sidelong.  “You haven’t been… avoiding me, have you?

                She had.  What else was she supposed to do?  She’d tried to suck out Kyuubi’s soul and bind it, she’d nearly robbed Naruto of his greatest power.  How could she face him after something like that?  And now he even knew that she’d been avoiding him!  Hinata’s heart twisted inside her.

                “You’re really good at that, you know?”

                Startled by the comment, Hinata whirled to face Naruto, who grinned sheepishly.  “I mean, at avoiding people.  Or at least me.  Seriously, I’ve been trying to find you for about the last week or so, and I haven’t even seen you.  I had to switch to Sage Mode just to find you here.”  He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Seriously, it’s like you’ve been practicing how to hide from me all your life!”

                Hinata, shocked into silence by the simple compliment, said nothing.  

                “Aheheheh… yeah.”  Slowly the grin faded from Naruto’s face and his arm came down.  Shrugging awkwardly, he looked away, and there was another long silence.  Finally he came back with:  “Hinata, can I ask you something?”

                Hinata nodded dumbly.

                “Why are you… so quiet all the time?”

                It took a while for Hinata to answer, and Naruto, clearly nervous, filled the gap with his own talking.  “I mean, it’s good to be quiet, people are always telling me to be more quiet, but I can never do it because I always have so much to say and there are always so many idiots, even ones who don’t know who I am and how are they supposed to know who I am unless I tell them?”  He paused for breath.  “But… you always take things so quietly.”  He shrugged.  “I guess I just… wondered why.”

                “I… I don’t know,” said Hinata after some time.  “I s-suppose I never thought about it much.  It j-just always seemed to me that… well, that what I had to say w-wasn’t as i-important as what other people might want to s-say.”

                “Whaddaya mean by that?”  Naruto cocked his head at her.  “Your ideas are good.  I remember—“ he thought about it, but realized that Hinata had never told anyone what her ideas were.  “—your idea to work with the Justice League was good.”  He managed. 

                “Y-yeah… I guess so.”  Hinata looked a little doubtful.

                “And you were all for telling them about that Spectre deal.  That went well,” continued Naruto, gaining steam.  He beamed at her.  “You should tell people about your ideas.  I do!  Of course, my ideas are always good…”

                “U-um… yes.”  Hinata looked even more doubtful.  “B-but you see, you’d think so, because they’re _your_ ideas.  So how do you know?  I mean, even when I have a good idea, it’s hard to know whether it’s _actually_ a good idea, because, well, I thought of it, so I would think that.”

                Naruto shrugged.  “So?  Tell it to them anyway.  They’ll let you know if something’s wrong.”

                “But if I stay quiet and just listen, chances are I’ll hear a better idea anyway,” protested Hinata.  “Or at least hear something that my idea should change.  That way if I finally do have to say it, it’ll be better.”

                Naruto had nothing to say to that, so he just _hmmed_ and stared out at the city.  “You know,” he said eventually, “I don’t think you stuttered once in that whole speech.” 

Starting, Hinata blushed crimson and began to stammer out apologies, but Naruto silenced her.  “No, seriously, that’s cool.  It’s like, I can tell you’re really sure about it, because you don’t keep stopping.”  Grinning, he added, “I guess you usually just hesitate trying to find the right words.”  A shade of guilt crossed his face.  “I could probably stand to learn about that.”

“Y-you’re fine, Na-naruto-kun.”  Hinata managed, stutter once again in full force.  “S-Someone has to start all th-the talking.

“Heh.”  Naruto smirked at that.

For a long moment they stood there at the balcony, watching the reddening sun sink below the buildings.  Shadows were lengthening, and stars were just beginning to be seen in the sky.  The chill night breeze swept across the balcony, and Hinata shivered just a little as it blew back her hair.  Finally Naruto spoke.

“I heard you had another of those… prophetic thingies.  Just yesterday.”  At Hinata’s nod, he pressed on.  “Any idea what it was about?”

Hinata shook her head.  “Not r-really.  Mr. Terrific w-was asking me about Reverend McCay again, and all of a sudden I just… ”   She shrugged.  “…I d-don’t know exactly what, but I just… got a very bad f-feeling about things.”

“Do you think something happened to him?”

“I don’t know...” sighed Hinata, brushing back a loose strand.  “Maybe…  We sh-should check up on h-him, I guess.”

“Hard to do that with them tracking our every move.”

“Naruto, I think we should tell them about him.”

Naruto turned, eyebrow raised, and Hinata faced him.  “I think we should tell them about the other things too.  This sneaking around, hiding things…  It’s not helping anything.  The only thing it’s doing is making everybody more nervous.  Whenever people find out they’ve been kept in the dark about something, they usually get angry.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Sasuke-sama!"   Juugo leapt from the bed as he was released. "Now I no longer need fear freedom!"

                Sasuke gave a short nod of agreement, though he personally felt uneasy.  Even if Juugo didn’t know it, without the full use of his chakra, Sasuke had no real way of keeping the monster in check.  Still, what alternatives did he have?  He needed friends in this base of Luthor’s.

                “Karin.”  Juugo nodded to the technician.

                Karin, standing just behind Sasuke, nodded nervously back.  “H-hi Juugo.”  Being slightly more aware of Sasuke’s chakra difficulties, and having neither thousands of guards nor a confident personality to back her up, she felt a trifle more uneasy at the giant’s presence.

                Luthor clapped his hands.  “Well then, now that the whole team is back together, perhaps we can…”

                “No.”  Sasuke stopped him.  “No, the ‘whole’ team is not all back together.  And until they are, we will do nothing.”

                Stopping, Luthor stared at the teen.  “You want to extract your friend Suigetsu?  From the League’s Metrotower?”

                “We’re a team.  Either we’re all in, or none of us are.”

                Though she tried not to show it, Karin was flabbergasted.  When had Sasuke cared about Team Taka?  For that matter, when had Team Taka cared about Team Taka?  This had to be a ploy of some kind.

                And yet, a tiny part of her wanted to think that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke’s time in this world had changed him.

                “The MetroTower is swarming with metahumans.  Your ninja friends are there too.  A direct assault there is insane.”

                Sasuke raised an eyebrow.  “But surely, for one with near god-like powers like you and I, that should pose no problem.”

                “You want me to help you?”

                “Think of it as a gesture in good faith.  You help me, I help you.”

                “I already rescued you from those League lackies.  You, Mr. Uchiha, owe ME, and I will NOT be bargained with!”

                “This time, it seems, you will be.  You need my help, do you not?  My WILLING help, moreover?  Then show your trust in me by lending me some of your…resources, and I shall show my trust in you by helping you conquer the world.”

                Luthor’s glare nearly crackled the air.   “Attacking the tower is an overt move!  The League will become completely aware of our location and resources, and the crucial element of surprise will be lost!”

                “The let us make this…” said Sasuke, leaning close, “…the surprise attack.”

                The Sharingan flickered into life on his one remaining eye.

                Just behind Sasuke, Karin clapped her hand over her mouth as she sensed something new.  _Sasuke’s chakra!  It’s back!_

 

 

* * *

 

 

                The lab was utterly dark, utterly deserted, though the clutter that filled every available space suggested it was in frequent use.  Strange tanks were stored in rows on long shelves, feeding their fluids into a complicated arrangement of tubes that ran into the odd object in the center of the lab.  It looked alive, but at the same time it was very obviously connected to at least three of the surrounding computers.

                Possibly, the tanks and their respective contents made the ventilation of this lab essential.  Certainly the lab had a great many fans and ventilation shafts running out of the room, though they were all, of course, guarded with lasers, potentially electrified, and anyway far too small for a man or even boy to crawl through.  (Question was rumored to patrol some of the larger ventilator shafts, but no one bothered whether he got electrocuted or not).

                Unfortunately, none of these safeguards had been designed with a bug in mind.  Or even a few hundred bugs.

                The insects swarmed through the vent and milled about the room.  After a few moments initial confusion, they swept over to the door and clustered around the RFID lock.  The door clicked in, and Shino stepped in.  “Many thanks.”  He intoned, extending a hand to receive his allies. 

                As they re-entered his coat sleeve, he swept the room with a glance.  He knew more about computers and electronics than most of his fellow ninjas, though at the moment he felt Sakura might have been more help.  Still, it didn’t take much to see that the bizarre object in the center was the main point of this place.  Crossing over to the table, he studied the device from several angles before finally coming around to the front to see what it looked like from there.

                He looked straight up at the Sharingan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'd like a pair of Axes" is a reference to this image, by the way. https://31.media.tumblr.com/e335ddd0b8062a176eee7edb7f1a2501/tumblr_inline_n6tebrzRrk1royj50.jpg


	26. Division

 

                “No, the ninjas won’t be down here until ten at the latest,” said Mr. Terrific to Steel as he opened up the lab door.  “Batman is going to collect them from their rooms and bring them… down…”

                His voice trailed off. 

Inside the lab, sitting on every available chair, counter, and suitable computer, were the Konoha 11.

                Steel rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  “I’m going to have to upgrade the tower’s security.”  He nodded.

                “What are you all doing in here?” asked Mr. Terrific.

                “Did you think we wouldn’t find out about it?” said Naruto, pointing at the projector.  “You think that you could hide this sort of thing from us for long?”

                Steel’s eyes darted to the mechanism.  It looked unharmed.  “We weren’t planning on hiding it from you.”  He answered.  “We just didn’t see the need to bother you until it was finished.  In fact, Batman was going to bring you down to see it today.”

                “Ha!  Likely story,” snorted Hinata.

                From his perch atop a filing cabinet, Shino nodded.  “You honestly expect us to believe that, idiots?”

                Mr. Terrific still stood, studying the ninjas, a peculiar light in his eyes.  Steel, though, saw no reason to be so contemplative.  “Look, guys, if we’d shown it to you earlier, you wouldn’t even have gotten what it was supposed to do.”

                “On that note… what DOES it do?” Neji arched a curious eyebrow.

                Before Steel could answer, Sai cut in.  “Never mind.  It doesn’t really matter what it does, because the point stands that you’re messing around with one of my best friend’s body parts.”

                “As if they’d tell us the truth anyways.”  Chouji nodded his agreement.  “Look, don’t get me wrong, we got guys who mess around with that sort of stuff back home, but they’re not exactly… well respected or anything.”

                Terrific finally broke in.  “Yes, here too.  But the damage had already been done, and it was our best chance.”  His eyes burned into Chouji.  “If you’re afraid of this device, I can tell you one thing, it won’t run without your chakra.  And it’s not meant to hurt you.  We were building it to send you home.  If you all come back now, I can show you.”

                “Come back?”  Steel glanced quizzically at Terrific.

                “It’s no good,” said Neji, stepping forward sadly.  “It’s not just the device.  All of my friends have been itching for an excuse to leave for weeks now.  They’re… they’re afraid, you see.  Afraid you were just using us.  Manipulating us.  Trying to work us to your own benefit without ever meaning to really help us.”  He gestured at the projector.  “And then we find this.”

                “But we’re the Justice League!  We don’t do stuff like that!” burst out Steel.

Naruto, just alongside Neji, shrugged.  “Well, all we’ve got to go on that is your word, right?  I mean, it fits with what I’ve seen, but maybe it’s just what you want us to see.”  A sardonic smile crossed his face.  “You don’t get it.  We’re too different from you.”  He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and continued, “In a way, I wish we weren’t.  In a way, you guys are an example of what I’d like the ninja world to be.  But… well,”  he sighed.  “We’re not heroes.  If you mean it, and I think you do, it’s great what you guys have done, training us, trying to teach us your philosophy…  It’s great.   I really do appreciate that, and I wish I had a better way to show it.  But at the end of the day…”  Shrugging again, he spread his arms plaintively.  “We’re ninjas.  And we’ve got a job to do.”

“Well before you go out on this ‘job’ of yours, you and your friends gonna have to fight through every single meta on this tower,” snarled Steel, whipping his hammer into position.

Terrific sighed.  “Steel, you’re a good man and a mechanical genius, but that was the dumbest thing you could have said.”

“What?”  Half-turning, the armored man stared at the scientist.  “We can’t just let a dozen walking atom bombs loose over the continental US!”

Shino flashed a toothy grin.

“Unfortunately, that’s no longer an issue.  Because even though we’re talking to them…”  Terrific gestured at the room of ninjas, “…none of them are really here.”

And the room exploded in smoke. 

 

* * *

 

 

                Miles away, Naruto stumbled in mid-leap and came down hard on the next building.  “Whoah.”  He muttered, bringing up his hands to his head.  “Lot t’take in all at once there.”

                The others, seeing his trouble, halted also.  “Problem, Naruto?” asked Neji.

                “B’fine in a minute.”  Naruto assured him, waving off Sakura.  “All my clones at the Tower just got disbanded.  They know we’re loose now.  Oh, and that Terrific guy is a smart cookie.  Saw right through the whole acting thing.”

                “Did they convey any information about the device?” asked Shino.

                Naruto shrugged, still wincing against the pain.  “Said it couldn’t be used without chakra.  Said it was a device to bring us home.  Stuff like that.”

                “H-home?”  Hinata glanced at the others.

                But the others shook their heads.  “I can believe it won’t function without chakra,” agreed Sakura.  “That was always our safeguard against them stealing the bloodlines.  But a device like that… they might have found a way to generate it.  Terrific’s been asking me questions all week about stuff like that…”  She shook her head.  “I should have guessed.  I should have KNOWN!”

                Chouji was still eyeing Naruto.  “Did they… kill the clones?”

“What did they look like when they found out we were gone?”

“Where do you think they’ll look first?”

“I don’t know!”  Naruto snapped.  “No, Chouji, they didn’t kill the clones, the clones just disbanded themselves.  But give me a break, I’ve got memories of being Ino running through my head right now!”

Tenten gave a little frown.  “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to have Naruto do all the clones.”

“He had the greatest chakra resources.  And, if the rest of our time in this world is any indication, the rest of us will need to conserve all we can.”  Turning, Neji glanced over at Ino.  “How’re you holding up?”

“Fine.”  Ino answered.  “It’s not… too hard to mask people.  I’m not sure how good J’onn-sensei is at seeing through them, but I think I can keep him from finding us.  As long as we want, anyway.”  She had a vaguely uneasy look.

“Good.  And we’ve all vomited up the stomach tracers and disposed of our League communicators.”  Neji gave a little nod of satisfaction.  “It should take them a few minutes to find our trail by conventional means, and we already have a thirty-mile start on them.”  Then he frowned.  “Of course, they can fly.”  He worried his lip.  “Shino, how far to where you met the Juugo clone?”

“Not far,” came the response.  “Another five minutes.”

“Then let’s move.”  Naruto pushed himself to his feet.  “We’ve got to hurry.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “This is taking too long.”  Sasuke muttered.  “Hurry it up.”

                “Hey, relax,” said the man Luthor had sent with them, glancing back.  “breaking into a Justice League place isn’t easy.  Takes patience, just like anything else in life.”

                “Not in my experience.”  Sasuke grumbled.

                The man snorted as he turned back to study the street.  “Then you have an awful limited experience.”

                Sasuke’s gaze narrowed.  “What was your name again?”

                “Deadshot,” answered the man, without turning.  “My clients call me Deadshot.”

                _Deadshot._   Sasuke mentally filed the man under his “to kill” list.  “And what makes your experience so invaluable?”

                “I’m among maybe a handful of people who’ve ever broken into a League place before, that’s what.”  The man shot him an annoyed glance.  “The other ones are either serving time, dead, or working elsewhere.  You’re lucky you got me.”

                “And them, I suppose.”  Sasuke threw a disgusted look at the completely ordinary-looking men flanking him, Karin, and Juugo.  As a ninja, he was naturally suspicious of any unwanted reinforcements, especially ones cloned from the most unstable of his teammates.  The clones Luthor’d provided for the distraction, Sasuke had no problem with.  There might be two hundred of them, but with any luck, the entire Justice League was going to be between him and them once the action got started.

                Deadshot shrugged.  “Never know when a little extra muscle is going to come in handy.  They may not be professional, but if things get dicey in there, they could be useful.”

                “Hmph.”  Sasuke turned back to the building.  The plan itself seemed sound, however much Deadshot complained about its ‘lack of elegance.’  His party would approach the service entrance, where the crew of technicians, medics, and janitors employed by the League would be entering.  Just as they approached it, the army of clones would attack, prompting the League to admit all outsiders immediately.  After that, hopefully the confusion would keep them from being noticed while Karin’s sensing abilities took them straight to Suigetsu.  The only hobble to the plan came from the fact that once the tower was attacked, it’s automatic security would be on high alert.  Sasuke and his team would be stopped at every checkpoint.  Hopefully, the passes Luthor had provided would see them through nearly everything, but if not, they would need to move quickly.

                Currently, though, Sasuke felt a certain irritation that they were not moving quickly enough.  “How much longer?”

                “Hold on, pal.”  Deadshot checked his watch.  “Fifteen minutes.  That’s when the shift ends.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “None of the stomach nanites we gave them for breakfast are responding.  Or rather, they are, but they’re all down in the sewage system.”

                “So?  Maybe they’re going through the sewers!”

                Green Lantern pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Flash, ordinary sewers are incredibly narrow, choked, hazardous spaces that can barely be navigated by certified sewage workers.    All the sewers collected to the League tower pass through several material identification grids after an incubation period of several days in the internal recycling system.  Trust me, they’re not there.”

                “Besides, I just sent Question down there.  There’s nothing,” said Batman absentmindedly, flicking through computer feeds.  “They must’ve detected the nanites and disposed of them.”

                “How?”  Then Flash shook his head.  “Never mind.  Don’t wanna know.”

                “I just checked Metropolis.  They’re long gone.  Any guesses as to where?”  Superman strode in the door.

                Batman shrugged, still flicking through screens.  “Titan’s Tower is the best bet, but they wouldn’t go somewhere so obvious.  I put Robin on alert, but I doubt they’ll show up there.  They’ll be looking either to start up a base of operations, locate their last team member, or find Sasuke.”

                “Which means…?”

                “They’re either headed for Gotham or the locale where Atom and the Shino kid met up with that clone.”  Batman’s finger drew out possible routes on the screen.  “Gotham is most likely.  They had a base of sorts there, before they came here.  And that’s also the last place they met Sasuke.”  Standing, he glanced to Mr. Terrific.  “Forward any new information to me in the Batplane.  I’m heading over there now.”

                Terrific, hand held to his ear in the act of listening to a new message, gave a short nod.  As Batman passed out of the room, he turned to Superman.  “That was J’onn.  The girl’s holding him off.  He can’t tell where they are, just that they’re mad and afraid.”

                “That’s a winner combination,” groaned Green Lantern.

                “Also, Waller’s on the phone with the President.  For now he’s willing to abide by our recommendation that security forces try NOT to intercept the ninjas, but Waller says the clock is ticking nonetheless.  Cadmus may be disbanded, but the government doubtless has a trick or two they could use to bring the ninjas down.”

                “That is the LAST thing we need.”  Superman bit his lip.  “A dozen scared, angry powerhouses getting attacked by government officials.  They could blow up half a city before they’re through.”

                “Not to mention make the ninjas even MORE convinced we’re out to get them,” nodded Green Lantern.

                Hawkgirl snorted.  “I’m more worried as to whether any prisoners they took would ever be seen again.”

                “Shayera, try not to assume the government is evil.”  Superman rubbed his forehead wearily.  “Okay.  Wonder Woman, take Atom and head to the other site—where he met the clone.  The ninjas’ll probably be gone by the time you get there, but they might leave something to trace.  Green Lantern, I want you to…”

                “Hold up here a second.”  Terrific’s hands were suddenly all over the keys, clicking away rapidly.  “I might have… no, no, this can’t be right.”

                “What is it?”

                Terrific turned back to Superman.  “One of the ninjas is still wearing their League communicator.”

 

 

* * *

 

                “Picked up the trail, then?”

                Shino gave a short nod.  “The odor is indetectable to myself or to Kiba, but quite evident to the male insect.  The lapse in time has diminished it somewhat, however.  We shall have to be very careful.”

                “We don’t have time to be careful.”  Sai argued.  “The League must already be searching for us.”

                “But we have even less time to NOT be careful, screw up, and go back,” answered Neji.

 Shino looked at Naruto, who after some thought, nodded his agreement.  “Shino, go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with, just don’t lose the trail.”

“What about the League?” persisted Sai.

“Uh… hey.”  Sakura waved her hand to attract their attention.  “I got an idea about that a few miles back.  We’re all jumping from roof to roof in the middle of a city.  Not exactly subtle, but with a little work it can look perfectly natural.”

“How?” inquired Neji, raising an eyebrow.

“ _Henges_.  We make ourselves look like some of the superheroes.  Nobody EVER questions their right to jump across roofs, and they’re allowed anywhere they like.”

Neji frowned.  “They’re too well-known.  We’ll draw attention.”

“We’re doing that anyway.”

“And the discrepancy would only be noticed by someone who already knew where the real heroes are.  Which, if that kind of person saw us, would be pretty much a giveaway anyway.”

“But those are precisely the people we’re trying to fool,” insisted Neji.

Naruto finally spoke up.  “I say go for it, Sakura.”

“You got it.”  Sakura shot a victory smirk at Neji, who simply glared.

“Right then.”  Naruto nodded.  “Sounds like we’ve got everything together.  Hopefully we can find Shikamaru or Sasuke before the League catches up.”

 “And then what?” frowned Sai.

“We should go to ground.  Hide.”

“Depends…”  Naruto held up his hand.  “If they seem pretty upset, than yeah, we’re leaving.  But if they’re more or less willing to stand by what we did, then I don’t see any reason to keep dodging them.”

A slightly exasperated expression flitted across Neji’s face.  “Naruto, have you forgotten a little red eyeball they have back there?”

“Have you forgotten that we left it to them?” frowned Shino.

Nobody looked particularly happy at the reminder, including Neji.  “You know we didn’t have time.  And we couldn’t be sure what it would have done…”

“No.  But we shall have to recover it at some point, and the easiest way would be to play along with the League.  Perhaps we should have deliberated longer, played along to discover its end, and THEN destroyed it and left, but that is in the past.”

“If you honestly think we ought to go back to that…”

“Look, guys, cool it.”  Naruto held up his hands.  “Right now, lets concentrate on keeping them from finding us.  Speaking of which…” Half-turning, he called, “Hinata?  Any followers?”

Hinata, her one hand raised in the act of brushing back her hair, gave a little shake of her head.  “N-no one yet, Naruto-kun.”

“Good.”  Neji nodded.  “I’ll relieve you in another half-hour, in the meantime, watch our backs.”

“Y-you don’t have t-to, N-neji-ni-san, I d-don’t mind…”

“We can’t afford chakra exhaustion.  I’ll relieve you.”  Neji turned to Shino.  “Found it?”

Nodding distantly, Shino answered, without turning, “I believe so.  It seems to be fairly straight… following roadways, I’d imagine.”

“Then let’s go.”  Naruto stood up.  “Shino, you’re in front with the bugs.  Hinata, you watch our rear.”  He completely missed Hinata’s blush.  “Sakura, give us the _henge_ s.  Let’s move, people!”

 

 

* * *

 

                “We’re not even moving,” grumbled Sasuke.  “This is intolerable.”

                “They haven’t opened the gates yet.  That’s why we’re not moving.  If we’d waited in the van as planned, we wouldn’t have to wait here.”

                “Can’t you just start the distract…” Karin started, but Deadshot clapped a hand over her mouth.

                “Shh!”  He hissed.  “Are you crazy?  If you haven’t noticed, we’re in a crowd of a hundred or so people here.  Might I suggest you watch what you say?”

                Sasuke’s eyes had a hint of red.  “Might I suggest you unhand my team member before I rip you limb from limb?”

                The moment he said it, he realized how much merit Deadshot’s suggestion had.  The woman directly behind them in line stared at them, her cell phone just raised to her mouth.  Behind him, Sasuke heard the man in front of them turn.

                “Hahaha!” laughed Deadshot, in almost-genuine jocularity, as he let go of Karin.  “Man, Sauce, you and your jokes!”

                “Er… yes.”  Sasuke eyed the woman and tried to smile.  “Ha ha.”

                Deadshot winced, nearly imperceptibly.  “Oh, and promise me you’ll see the doctor about that throat of yours.  It’s awful.  You can’t even laugh very well.”  Leaning closer, he hissed:  “You think we can maybe try to keep a low profile now?”

                Much as Sasuke hated it, he had to nod.  “Haha.”

                “And you can stop laughing,” muttered Deadshot, before leaning back.  “Just relax.  They should open the doors soon.”

                And indeed, the sudden loud ring from the building seemed to indicate just that.  The line began to move, and with it, the suspicion suddenly went away.  The man behind Sasuke moved away, the woman sighed and began to gab into her cell phone about some movie star.  Slowly, Sasuke and his team approached the gates.

                “Make the call already.”  Sasuke hissed, when he could stand it no longer.

                “Sit tight, boss,” came the muttered reply.  “We want to be too close to get away in time, but too far away to be scanned properly.”

                “We’re close enough!”  Sasuke hissed again, aware of several odd glances.  “Call them!”

                Deadshot sighed as he raised the cellphone to his lips.

                “Go.”

 

* * *

 

 

                Superman was halfway to the exit when the klaxons sounded. 

                _“Superman, we’re under attack!”_   Mr. Terrific’s frantic voice sounded in his ear.

                “I know!”  Superman’s all-seeing vision roved a complete circuit of the watchtower, enumerating their attackers and their abilities.  “What the… what happened to Flash?”

                Terrific’s reply took a few moments, and in that time Superman was at the speedster’s side.  The world moved in slow-motion around him, but he could see the plumes of rocket trails, the explosions as they smashed into the Tower’s defense grid.  Bullets were whizzing past him too, and grotesque figures were galloping across the intervening gap, but at the moment his concern was Flash, who lay doubled over on the concrete.

                _“Ran right into one of their blasts,”_ rang Terrific’s voice as Superman picked him up. _“Complete accident, they weren’t even aiming at him and he didn’t_ _know they were there.”_

                Cracking an eye open, Flash grinned weakly.  “Hey Supes.  How’s it hanging?”

                “Don’t talk.”  Superman, already in the infirmary, placed Flash down on a handy gurney.  “You there!  This man needs help, ASAP!”

                “I’m fine, Supes, they just winged me, I’m…”

                But Superman was already back outside, batting away the first of the cloned attackers.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see heroes jumping from the roof, the windows, the doors, any possible outlet to the fracas already raging.  Atom Smasher and Blue Devil were already beside him, laying into the intruders.

                _This is insane_.  Superman thought.  _Attack the Metrotower?  Openly?_

                The problem so distracted him he nearly got hit with the first punch.  Instead, he managed to whip away just in time before coming back with a devastating right hook that knocked the attacker clear across the square.

                Or course, doing that meant that he completely failed to see the enormous blast of energy being prepared by the clone off to the side.

                It hit him, full force.  His skin burned with the strange energy, and instantly he knew what it was.  His hand flew to his ear, even as he shot forward to disable the blaster.  “Terrific!”  he called.  “These clones are using chakra!”

                “ _Yes.  Very familiar profile, wouldn’t you say_?”

                The Luthor clones.  “Why now?”  He moaned.  “This makes no sense!”

                _“Keep focused on the battle, Superman.  Green Lantern and Static are already en route, they can handle the ninjas.”  There was a short pause as Terrific reconsidered his words.  “Or, at least, the negotiations with them.  For the moment, we need you here.  It shouldn’t take long.  Couple hours, tops.”_

                A sudden BOOM interrupted Superman in the act of hurling his fourth clone away, and he glanced over to see an all-too-familiar silhouette emerging from the smoke.

                Kalibak, son of Darkseid, grinned at him.

                “ _Maybe longer,”_ conceded Terrific.        

 

* * *

 

 

                “I’m surprised you could find time for our chess game today,” remarked Shikamaru idly, moving his knight to a seemingly innocuous position.  “Don’t you have more important things to do?  Now that you have Sasuke, I thought you might finally actually have the ability to move ahead with this ‘dominate the world’ strategy that you’re always talking about.”

                Luthor shrugged as his rook destroyed Shikamaru’s recently-moved knight.  “Oh, I AM, Mr. Nara.  But my power is such that I do not need to give it constant attention, only a sort of… cursory supervision.  Which, of course, leaves me free to devote my full mind to our game.”

                “Your FULL mind?  Oho, I am honored, Great Luthor, to receive so much of your attention.”  Shikamaru moved a bishop back a few spaces.

                “You jest, Mr. Nara,” smiled Luthor.  “But in truth, your games have grown truly intriguing of late.  I find it is quite a challenge to play you, and I do enjoy a good challenge.”  A black pawn skipped sideways and destroyed Shikamaru’s rook.

                “Yes,” nodded Shikamaru.  “I know.”

                A moment’s silence hung over the room as the two contemplated the board.  Though Luthor still remained in the glass balcony, Shikamaru played chess with his hands on an actual board in front of him, holograms of Luthor’s pieces moving in concert to his own.  Luthor had a similar model on the balcony.

                Finally Shikamaru advanced a new pawn.  “So, shall I tell you a funny story?”

                Luthor shrugged.  “I’d advise you to concentrate on your game, Mr. Nara, but I doubt you’d listen, so by all means, go ahead.”  His bishop slid to an empty slot.

                “Once,” Shikamaru yawned, “there was this guy named Luthor.  And boy, was he an idiot.”

                To his credit, Luthor barely raised an eyebrow.  “I’m sure you find that story most amusing, Mr. Nara, but I fail to see the point.”

                “No, you don’t get it.”  Shikamaru shook his head as he moved his king over one space.  “He was smart and all, but he was arrogant.  Loved to talk.  Loved to talk to his prisoners, because he thought they were harmless and everything.  And he LOVED being important, so much that when one of the prisoners called him out on it, he did everything in his power to impress that one prisoner.”

                Luthor, still studying the board, snorted without humor.  “Indeed.”

                “Well, maybe not everything,” conceded Shikamaru.  “But too much, definitely.  He might have done okay, except for the one time he broke down and told the prisoner all about what he was planning and why he needed to know what he did.”

                Shikamaru’s shoulders gave an innocent roll.  “Now, maybe he just thought the prisoner was helpless, maybe he just thought he could outsmart this prisoner, maybe he thought the prisoner would actually be impressed enough to join him.”

                “Maybe.”

                “Maybe, but the point is he was wrong.  Dangerously wrong.  Because see, when he told the prisoner his plan, he told him a lot more.  First of all, he told the prisoner the situation.  That gave him some context.  Second of all, he mentioned how crucial the Sharingan was to his plans.  That gave him something to play around with, something to tempt Luthor with.  Third and last of all, he revealed how obsessed he was with godhood.”  Shikamaru smiled benignly as his knight jumped two pawns and landed on a space in the middle of enemy territory.  “And that was crucial, because really, one you know a man’s driving force, you can learn how to drive him.”

                “Depending, I suppose, on the car,” remarked Luthor ironically.  “And the road map.”

                Shikamaru shook his head.  “Didn’t need a road map.  No need for one, as long as you know the man’s personality.  You just need to goad him, annoy him enough into doing overt things, obvious things that will attract attention and probably get him killed.”

                “Unless you underestimate the man’s ability for surviving.”  Luthor sneered, no longer looking at the board.

                “No, that’s not the point.  The point is, you get the man to OVERestimate his chances of survival, and constantly mock him when he does, so that he finally tries something too dangerous just to show that he can.”  Shikamaru was no longer looking at the board either, but he was deliberately not looking at Luthor, instead  staring disinterestedly up at the ceiling.  “Like, say, field-testing his own experiments, or attacking his enemies’ base in broad daylight.”

                Luthor laughed.  “So, Mr. Nara, you are telling me that I am being overconfident in allowing Sasuke to attack the Metrotower without me?  That I should, perhaps, be giving more of my attention to help him?  I thank you for your concern, Mr. Nara, but I do not think I will follow your advice.  It does not seem it would be healthy.”

                “Suit yourself,” shrugged Shikamaru.

                “Tell me, Mr. Nara, if I am the idiot in this story, and you are the genius prisoner, why is it that you always lose our chess games?”

                “Oh, that.”  A yawn broke loose from Shikamaru.  “Not interesting anymore.  I’m pretty sure I could have beaten you any time I wanted to.  In the past week, at least.”

                A not-so-funny smile spread across Luthor’s face.  “I would be interested to see that, Mr. Nara.”

                “Look at the board, then.”  Shikamaru gestured. 

 

* * *

 

 

                The ninjas crouched against the parapet of the building, watching as the tiny bug circled around Shino’s finger.  It was performing an intricate series of whirls, dips, and circles that only it and Shino seemed to understand.  As usual, the boy’s face was expressionless, but something about the set of his chin indicated that he was deeply concentrated on the bug before him.

                The others wisely decided to respect that, and focused on remaining still while whatever-was-going-on went on.  A few of them glanced nervously at the loading docks of the office building just across the street, but for now, nothing seemed especially dangerous.  And even if there was, Neji, currently on the watcher position (filling the role of scout AND rearguard) would warn them ahead of time.

                Naruto, at the lead, paid little attention to anything, at least as far as anyone in Sage mode can.  Certainly he remained aware of his surroundings, but at the moment he seemed concerned neither with Shino, nor the building, nor any pursuers that might be behind them.  A troubled frown wrestled with his face, and he made occasional worried glances at the rest of his squad.  Most of them seemed in fine condition, save for perhaps Hinata, who was huddled up in a little ball on the far end of the building and kept rubbing her ear.  But Naruto didn’t seem interested in their condition.

                Finally Shino nodded and signaled to his insect to join its fellows.  “This is intriguing.”  He said.  “Apparently Shikamaru attracted my probe with some chakra-infused honey.  It recognized his signature and returned—at his direction, apparently—to inform me.”  He glanced over at Naruto.  “We now have confirmation that Shikamaru is in the building, and better yet, we have a direct route to him.”

                “Good.”  Naruto gave a firm nod.  “And the trail leads through that building?”

                “Yes.  The loading docks may not be the quickest entrance, but they are the ones my probe used, so I cannot be sure.  We shall have to risk it.”

                Sai spoke up.  “At the other two locations Luthor fled before the heroes could catch him.”

                “Let him run, it’s Shikamaru we’re after,” grumbled Kiba from further down the line.

                “Indeed.  But he would possibly prefer to leave WITH Shikamaru, which would delay our extraction mission indefinitely.”  Shino scratched his nose.  “I believe Sai is merely trying to point out that we will need to be stealthy.  Why?  The moment Luthor learns of our presence, he has merely to teleport away, and all this is useless.”

                “Stealthy, then.”  Naruto nodded. 

As quietly as possible, Neji managed to hiss over to them.  “We’ll need _henges_.  Perhaps a _genjutsu_ too.  There are a lot of guards down there.”

Sakura shook her head.  “I have more than enough chakra for that, but genjutsus don’t really work here.  It wouldn’t be worth the effort.”

“More traditional then.”

Now Tenten piped up.  “We could just kill the guards and steal their uniforms.”

This practical suggestion cast a short silence over the team.  Tenten’s suggestion was perfectly reasonable—quite effective, in fact—but it was the style of suggestion they hadn’t used for months.  Killing was never an option, not even as a last resort, and definitely not as a bit tactic in the mission.

But then, they were breaking free from that, weren’t they?  Returning to how they should be as ninjas?

“I think…” began Lee.

“It should work if we strike quickly and quietly.”  Neji spoke over the other chunin.  “Everyone picks a target from here, then approaches the building from separate angles, then takes them out with the minimum of mess.”

Naruto gave a hesitant nod.  “Sure... that would work… but…”  He gave a light cough.  “Well, we might be able to pass simply by making henge uniforms.  That would get us close enough to take them out harmlessly.”

“Naruto, time and chakra are of the…”

Suddenly Neji froze.  The rest of the ninjas, who had been watching him, froze also.  “There’s someone flying from the Northeast…”  He muttered.  “No… two.”  A second later he hissed in frustration.  “It’s the League.  Green Lantern and Static.”

Sai winced.

“How did they find us?” whispered Sakura harshly.

“I don’t…”  Neji stopped.  His head swiveled suddenly, pointlessly, and he dashed across the rooftop in a single graceful movement to loom up beside Hinata.  She flinched away at the sudden movement, and as she did his hand came up to brush away the thick hair from her ear.

There, buried nearly out of sight, was a League communicator.

 

* * *

 

 

                “The League’s communication network has to be as busy as hell right now,” panted Deadshot as Sasuke’s team sped along the halls.  “Luthor’s disruptor won’t completely mess it up, but it’ll still be pretty confused.  Nobody’s going to know who’s doing anything.”

                “So no one’s going to stop us?”  Karin managed, her brow furrowed in concentrating on Suigetsu’s position.

                “No.  Everyone will.  But none of them will actually know what we should be doing, so it won’t make a difference.”  Deadshot cast a nervous glance up and down the hall.  “Hopefully we won’t meet some bigshot Leaguer looking to draft us helpless technicians.”

                Sasuke wanted Deadshot’s gun.  The man had assembled it nearly the moment they were in the door, and now clutched it comfortably in both hands.  All his movements seemed more fluid now that he had a gun there.  Doubtless the man knew how to use it, but based on the three or four occasions he actually had, Sasuke could almost definitely say that the weapon itself still had to be unbelievably accurate.  And powerful.

                The two clones were keeping rearguard position, just behind Juugo himself.  There had been no occasion for their use just yet, fortunately.  Both Sasuke and Deadshot knew that unleashing the unstable clones would undoubtedly  draw attention—something they could not yet afford.

                Of the whole party, Karin was having the most difficulty.  She was, of course, a ninja, but she was also a ninja who had spent the last couple months entirely in a lab with little chance for exercise or fresh air.  Now once again on the move, the fatigue was starting to show.

                They couldn’t afford this.  Karin couldn’t be left behind, she knew where Suigetsu was.  But they couldn’t keep at her pace, either.  Sasuke threw a look back.  “Juugo… pick up Karin and keep running.”

                “I’m… I’m… fine.”  Karin managed to pant.  “J-just… a little… winded.”

                “Pick her up.”  Sasuke ordered, ignoring his technician and glaring directly at his other teammate.  The giant gave a little shrug and, without breaking stride, swooped Karin up in one suddenly enormous hand.

                “That’s going to be real noticeable if we run into…  Oh crap.” 

Deadshot drew up so suddenly that Sasuke nearly ran into him.  The others behind nearly ran into him.  All of them stared at the trio of heroes in the hallway just ahead of them.

Vigilante hadn’t earned his name from following interrogation procedures.  “You varmints are trespassing!”  He shouted, whipping out his revolvers.

“Damn.”  Deadshot’s pistol was already out and firing, but Stargirl deflected the bullets with a simple.  Reacting on instinct, Sasuke’s hand flew for his sword—concealed beneath his robe—but already one of the clones was leaping over his head, roaring as he charged into battle.

“Boss!” shouted Deadshot, over the suddenly blaring siren and the tromp of approaching heroes.  “You don’t have time for this!  Run and grab your man, then get out of here!  We’ll give you the time for this?”

Sasuke had no real objection, but he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the mercenary.  Seeing it, Deadshot rolled his eyes.  “Professional pride.  My assignment is to keep you safe and get you there.  Don’t exactly plan on facing Luthor if that doesn’t happen.  Besides,” he continued, punctuating the words with gunfire, “I’ve been caught by these guys before.  It’s a cakewalk.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Test Subject 39 no longer bothered wondering about the blue sky, the wind, the bustling buildings, all the things that had so fascinated him when he’d emerged to fight the boy.  They had faded into the background this time, insignificant details before the glory of the fight.

                Oh, and such a fight!  Such a warrior!  Inefficient, perhaps, but fast, strong, and determined.  He could take on three of 39’s fellows at once and not falter.  Four, perhaps, would overwhelm him, but the men beside the warrior made that impossible.

                39 had not been among the fortunate few in the first wave of attackers.  Instead, he had had to wait as the others dashed forward to the battle.  Hidden in the frail human shell, he had mingled with the fleeing and screaming citizens for a few minutes before triggering his transformation.  He’d spent a boring couple of seconds killing helpless victims (no amusement in that, no matter how many creative ways you found to kill them), and then the warrior had been there, eyes flashing.

                It took quick reflexes and quicker action to do what 39 had done, and he felt justifiably proud of himself.  In the instant the warrior appeared before him—red cape blowing in the wind, blue arms folded across the emblem on his chest—39 had triggered a partial arm transformation and gave the man a jet-powered punch in the jaw. 

                It had blown the warrior back.  Only a few feet, true, and the man had been back the next instant to knock 39 clear across the square, but 39 had made the warrior give ground.

                Now, the memory flashing clearly in his mind, 39 watched the warrior keenly from a distance.  He would not rush blindly into battle, as his fellows did.  No, he would watch and observe, and decide upon his attack strategy beforehand.

                The warrior was mostly fighting with the great dark man they had brought with them—Kalibak, was his name.  For a brief moment, 39 considered attacking Kalibak, also a great warrior.  But no, Luthor had forbidden that.  Kalibak would make a useful distraction, 39 could always fight him later.

                Even while battling Kalibak, the warrior held off all others of 39’s fellows, always whirling around at just the right instant, with just the right force.  He seemed to be constantly aware of his surroundings, and had a speed of movement that 39 knew he did not.  And each man he hit stayed down.  Or rather, nearly every, for he had hit 39, and he was still up. 

                The thought made 39 quiver with anticipation for battle, but he held himself back, forced himself to observe more.  The warrior was continually distracted.  In the blink of an eye he would dash to far sections of the square to help other warriors, rescue helpless victims, or even just shake off a few rowdy attackers before whirling back again to join the fray.  Once in the fray, nothing could harm him.  Bullets, punches, razor-edged fists—all bounced off him harmless.  But, 39 noted, he seemed to wince when 39’s fellows shot their energy at him.

                A crude plan was just shaping in 39’s mind, and he could hold it no longer.   Leaping down to the square, he dashed away, not toward the warrior, but toward the far side of the square.  The warrior must be alone when 39 struck him.  As he ran, he snatched a rocket launcher from one of his fellows and, choosing a tall, strong-looking building not quite empty of its denizens, shot it away.

                The boom reverberated across the plaza.  Every head turned, and nearly every hero raced toward the building, but of course, the warrior was there first.  His mighty arms seized the broken pillar, they braced it upright, holding the building upright as a small yellow-and-red warrior evicted the residents.

                Out of the corner of his eye, 39 saw other warriors moving, charging forward to shield the great warrior.  But they would be too late, too late...   He put on an extra burst of speed, throwing himself at the warrior.  Summoning up all the black battle-rage from his blood, 39 triggered his full transformation, feeling the dark rush of power from deep within his soul.  The alien energy swarmed his mind, and he, with a great effort of focus, sent it shooting out again at the warrior.

                The blast of energy struck the warrior full in the chest, and 39 saw him wince.  More energy poured from 39’s soul, and the warrior trembled.  Power drained from 39’s arms, legs, head, from the darkest purgings of 39’s black rage, and came out in the stream of energy that hit the warrior and made him stumble.

                But then it was over, and all of 39’s energy was spent in that one great blast.  The warrior still half-stood, bowed under the weight of the pillar, but 39 no longer had the strength to stand.

                The momentum of his initial charge still carried him forward, though, toward the weakened warrior.  Forward it carried him, hurling him headlong, still in rock-hard, transformed mode, straight toward the warrior’s chest…

                39 smashed into the warrior, and felt as though he had hit a mountain.  His hardened skin crumpled under the impact of his own speed, his cybernetically-enhanced bones creaked and broke.  But it meant nothing to him, for the mountain moved, it tumbled backwards and fell over.   Without its pillar, the building came crashing down upon them all in a roaring tumult of creaking steel and crashing concrete.

                _I made the warrior fall,_ thought Test Subject 39 dreamily, scarcely feeling the debris smash his already broken body.  _I toppled him.  A good warrior.  A good battle.  A good life._

 

* * *

 

 

                “They’ve turned left.  It looks like they’re off the trail for now.”  Neji turned his pulsating gaze onto Sai.  “How long do you think it’ll take them to catch your hawk with the earpiece?”

                Sai shrugged.  “A half hour, perhaps.  They can go much faster, the difficulty will mostly be zeroing in on something so small.  But they shouldn’t be able to track its origin.”

                “Shall I lift the genjutsu?” asked Sakura, fingers still pressed in a seal.

                “No.  First we have a matter to resolve.” Neji turned to face his cousin.  “Why, Hinata?”

                Hinata was pale, trembling, and rather alone in the center of the circle of ninjas, but she stood as steadily as possible and stared her cousin straight in the face.  “B-because none of you would listen.”   She said, hands clenched at her side.  “B-because we need the League’s help, but none of you want it.”

                “We don’t need their help.  Naruto and Tenten both have broken out of Luthor’s base before, it won’t be…

                “Naruto didn’t break out so much as get expelled.”  Hinata interrupted him, her voice tight with determination.  “And Tenten barely managed intact, even with help from you and Kid Flash.  Besides, they were going out, not charging in like us.  What’re you going to do if they hold Shikamaru hostage?”

                “Kikai bugs…” started Shino.

                “Mind switch…” suggested Ino.

                “Genjutsu?”

                Hinata closed her eyes.  “I w-was just asking.  Besides, we think Sasuke’s in there too, don’t we?  And y-you can’t say we’re able to handle him, at least not both h-him and Luthor.”

                “We need to try.  Shikamaru’s in there.”

                “But we can’t get to him.  N-not without the League’s help.  We need them, Neji!”

                “No!  The League can’t be trusted!  They’ve been lying to us the whole time!”

                “L-like we’ve been lying to them?  How do you know they can’t be trusted?  We’ve never tried to trust them!”

                “She’s got a point.”

                All heads swiveled to stare at Naruto, who shrugged.  “She does, okay?  We haven’t exactly done very well against Sasuke in the past, and we don’t actually know very much about this Luthor guy.  Anyway, even if the League IS using us, we might as well use them too.”

                “The League is useless for an attack like this.”  Neji shook his head.  “They’re all about brute force.  No subtlety.  Shikamaru needs to be rescued secretly.”

                “If we run into Sasuke in those hallways, secrecy is going to go out the window.  The League can at least be a good distraction.  Look, Shino even said that we’re going to have to suck up to them again sooner or later, why not now, rather than later?”  Naruto took a few paces, toward the center.  “Look at us.  All of us.  Sure, the League’s been trying to make us into a mini-League.  But has that really turned out so badly?  We’ve all got new weapons, new abilities, new ways of looking at the world.  And really, what do WE ninjas do, if not use people and try to get them to work with us?  What would we do if the League popped into Konoha?  Let them set up a watchtower?”

                “We wouldn’t train them to be ninjas,” grumbled Tenten.

                “Only because they’re too old and can’t use chakra.”  Naruto shot back. 

                Reluctantly, Sai inclined his head in agreement.  “Konoha is not above conscripting unclaimed children.”  He said softly.

                An uncomfortable silence fell over the group at the orphan’s simple comment.  Unsurprisingly, Naruto was the one to break it.

                “Look.”  He said.  “I’m usually all for rushing in headlong and trying to bash a problem face-first.  But let’s say I’ve started to think a bit more… tactically in recent days.  I’m not really sure that the League is all as bad as we’re making them out to be; but even if they are, we can still use their help.  And you know they’ll offer it.”

                “They’ll interfere.  They won’t let us kill Sasuke.”

                “Which I seem to remember telling you wasn’t an option to begin with.”  Naruto’s eyes narrowed at Neji.

                “It’s something we have to keep open, Naruto.  You know that.”  Neji also stepped into the center.  “Regardless, though, our ties to the League must be broken.  For good.  We’re ninjas, we’re not their heroes, and trying to pretend we are is just going to mess things up.”

                Naruto gave a simple shake of his head.  “Not saying we have to.  Just saying that we, as ninjas, can use the help of them, as heroes.”

                There was another short silence.  Everyone stared at Naruto and Neji where they stood in the center.  Hinata had already backed gratefully away to the periphery, and watched the scene with her old nervousness.  Most of them were wondering about Neji’s reaction.  Though older and higher ranking than Naruto, he’d held the younger genin in undisguised esteem for many years.  However blank he kept his face, he clearly was going through a struggle.

                “Sakura, drop the genjutsu.”  Naruto ordered.

                Neji held up a hand.  “Keep it in place, Sakura.”

                “Guys…”  Sakura moaned.  “…don’t do this to me, okay?  It’s not going to make much difference in ten minutes anyway, my chakra’s beginning to run dry.”

                Sai’s eyes grew suddenly unfocused.  “My eagle has been dispersed.”  He commented.

                “Damn.  They’re turning.”  Neji whirled around to the rest of the squad.  “We need to go, now!”

                “I say we stay here.  Wait for them, then attack with their help.”

                “Then stay!” cried Neji, turning on Naruto.  “The rest of us will rescue you from the League later, if we can.  But for now, we no longer have time to argue.  Let’s move!”

                And with that, Neji leapt from the building’s summit, down toward the loading docks.

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke didn’t need the loud claxons blaring through the building to let him know he had to hurry.  He and Juugo had already cut through two security teams and a number of assorted personnel.  For a moment, Sasuke considered that it hadn’t been necessary, strictly speaking, to kill the personnel, but he’d been in a hurry and hadn’t had the luxury of consideration.  Even his power wouldn’t be able to hold back any serious grouping of this organization’s strength.

                “We’re close,” announced Karin from Juugo’s shoulder.  “He’s… just ahead of us, and a level down.”

                “Juugo.”  Sasuke gestured, and the red-haired giant nodded his understanding.  Shrugging Karin to a more secure position, he raised two enormous, chakra-transformed fists and crashed them into the floor.

                The Metrotower was no wattle-and-daub ninja complex, but Juugo’s fists could smash through solid rock at need.  The metal gave way with a screeching whine and the team dropped down a level.

                “This hallway crosses with another further down, and you follow that to…”  Karin’s directions suddenly gave way to a gasp.  Sasuke whipped around to be faced with a tall, dark-haired woman clad in what amounted to a star-spangled bathing suit.

                “Turn back, intruders!”  She cried, setting herself in a battle stance.

                Sasuke’s sword, already out, whipped around in attack as he charged straight at her.  Quick as sight, her arm flashed up, catching the sword absentmindedly on one of her metallic bracelets.  It rebounded back with a little clang, leaving a small grove in the woman’s armor.

                Sasuke stared in shock at the bracelets.  The woman stared in disbelief at the sword.

                “The sword Kusanagi penetrates all defenses!”  Sasuke protested.

                “The Armor of Athena is invincible!” returned the woman.

                Unfortunately, the two had no time to debate the strengths of their respective mythologies, for at this moment Juugo roared past, plowing bodily into the woman.  She had seen him, however, and rolled with the impact, floating away from the worst of the hit, and coming back with a Hercules-powered punch.  Juugo’s body flew through the air and tore through a sheet-metal wall before crashing to the floor in an adjoining room.

                Growling, Juugo picked himself up.  “Go!”  He shouted, his eyes already beginning to shift.  “I’ll hold her off!”

                “But Juugo…”  Karin started.

                Sasuke grabbed hold of Karin’s arm and hauled her down the hallway.  Behind them, they heard the hallway explode with the sounds of fighting.      

 

* * *

 

 

                A punch with enough force to split the ground struck Kalibak directly in the temple, lifting his bulky form clear off his feet and into the air.  Before he could even strike the building on the opposite side of the square, Superman was there, arms outstretched.  He let Kalibak smash into him, deadening the impact, keeping it from the building as he rolled slightly with the momentum.  The back of his cape brushed lightly against the glass, and then was still.

                After making sure Kalibak was completely unconscious, Superman threw the comatose god over one shoulder.  All around him, he could see heroes still fighting, battling back the clones.  He was still needed.  After all, these creatures were no pushovers, even to metas, and there were still a couple hundred of them.  They had no concept of ‘retreat,’ or ‘surrender,’ and found the idea of ‘unconscious’ difficult to understand.  Which, considering the League’s attitude toward ‘death,’ made things problematic. 

Still, now that he was free to fully deal with it, the battle should turn very quickly.  The clones were already falling, one last push was all it would take. 

First things first, though.  In a few seconds, Superman was at the League’s intensive holding cells, handing Kalibak over to some very nervous technicians.  In another second or two, he was back in the battle, smashing back the clones surrounding a rather swamped Shining Knight.  Yet another few seconds later, and he found himself pulling back the impassioned Blue Devil from a headlong death rush.  A couple seconds longer took him to the Tower’s railings, where he pulled some insensible clones from the grip of a malfunctioning electric trap.

Somewhere amidst all these seconds, Superman pieced together the message from Mr. Terrific.  “Superman!  We have intruders in the base!”

“Clones?” said Superman, running damage control on one of the buildings on the fringe.

_“Some, but they’re not the problem.  Superman, we’ve got some camera images and a couple reports… we think its Sasuke!  This whole thing is just a diversion!”_

Superman froze in the act of diverting some rogue clones from a crowd.  The moment of hesitation cost him, and he winced under the full exposure of a chakra beam.  Gritting his teeth, he shot down and attacked the offender.

Terrific, meanwhile, continued his report.  _“They’re making for Suigetsu’s prison chamber.  Don’t worry, I sent Diana down to stop them and…”_

A second, and Superman was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

                John Stewart felt like an idiot.  Here he was, a US Marine and an honored Green Lantern, and he let himself get outsmarted by a bunch of teenagers.  If Static hadn’t have pointed out the weird-looking eagle, he might not have even have seen it.  And if the others hadn’t shot that giant plume of water into the sky, it could have taken him another half-hour to have found them.

                As it was, he touched down on the roof a scant five minutes after catching the eagle to face Naruto.  Behind him stood Hinata, Kiba, Lee, Ino, and Sai; but the others could not be seen, so Stewart landed with his shields fully loaded.

                Static, by contrast, practically bounced to the rooftop.  “Dude, where’s Neji?”

                “Gone in,” answered Naruto, gesturing to the loading docks below.  “Look, we don’t have a lot of time to explain, so I’ll just handle the essentials.  We found Luthor.  He’s down there with Shikamaru.  And Sasuke’s probably there too.  We need your help.”

                “You… found…”

                “Shino had a bug trace on him.  We didn’t tell you because we didn’t trust you.  Yadda yadda.  Can we go now?”

                “No, look, there’s something we need to clear up first.  That thing with the Sharingan…”

                “No, we’re NOT going to clear that up first because we don’t have TIME for it!”  Naruto snapped.  “I’m mad about that, sure, and you guys WILL clear it up as soon as we’re done here, but right now we’ve got a very elusive villain down there holding one of my friends captive, and several other of my friends acting crazy dangerous to try and get him back!  We don’t have time to clear this up!”

                Stewart made his decision.  “I’m contacting the League,” said he, touching his finger to his ear.  “Naruto and I take point, Static and Sai, you’ve got the rear.  Keep together once we enter the…

                But at that point the building exploded from beneath them.

 

* * *

 

 

                Sakura didn’t know what she was doing.  Well, okay, technically she was very aware she was running through the hallways of a mad genius trying to find a lost comrade, but realistically she didn’t understand why she was turning her back on her best friend and teammate to do just that.  Or rather, if that was necessary.

                Perhaps because she felt she couldn’t desert the others.  Lee, Naruto, and Ino were all staying behind, SOMEONE had to go with Neji and keep an eye on him.  Someone had to keep a cool head… well, okay, there was Shino, but Someone had to provide the muscle… well, okay, there was Chouji, but Someone had to show some feminine sense… well, okay,, Tenten was there too, but Someone needed to lead them… well, okay, Neji was doing a pretty good job of that too. 

But they needed a medic.  And really, Neji’s team needed all the help they could get.  Naruto, at least, would have the League to back him up, Neji had nothing except this band.

Partly, though, Sakura knew she was there because Naruto wasn’t.  It was nearly inevitable, but if there was a chance to distinguish herself APART from Naruto, Sasuke, or Sai, she always took it.  Most times, it ended in disaster, but Sakura couldn’t help herself.  She was good, in her own way, and she yearned for a chance to show that—something hardly practical when Naruto was running around smashing all the enemies.

So hopefully this chance would turn out better than the other half-dozen-or-so chances that she’d had and blown.

They were running through the hallways at breakneck speed, under the cover of as good a genjutsu as Sakura could maintain (that was something else they needed her for, she thought).  So far, all the guards they’d met had been silenced with barely a gurgle.  Amazing, really, how quickly some things came back to you.  She’d had no problem locating and severing the carotid artery, even with all that armor in the way.

“How much further?”  That was Neji.

“A good ways.”  Shino.  “At this rate, I estimate we would reach…”

And then the hallway exploded.

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke had to desert Karin.  Formerly, that would not have bothered him, but now he was working hard to silence his conscience on the matter.  Other heroes were coming, they needed Suigetsu NOW so they could meet back up and break out as quickly as possible.  So he’d let go of her, with a terse instruction to hide.

                The next steps were simple enough, but painfully touchy.  He needed to dash in, free Suigetsu, dash back, finish off the woman with Juugo, then smash their way back out with as little fuss as possible before deserting Luthor and his clone army.  The League’s probable destruction of the clones was an added benefit, Sasuke was not keen on letting someone like Luthor have access to Juugo’s power.  Or his, for that matter.

                There was the door Karin had mentioned.  Kusanagi flashed twice across its thick steel face and it fell apart like cracked pottery.  As Sasuke burst through the opening, he caught sight of the tube in the center and the faint but very recognizable form within it.  He leapt toward the prison, sword whipping around as he sped through the air…

                And then the air seemed to explode before him and he crashed backwards into the wall.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Naruto had been in Sage Mode for the duration of the entire journey.  Unbeknownst to the others, he had had two Sage clones running alongside their part for most of the trip.  It made the natural energy harder to hold on to, but it meant he had a ready supply of them without needing to summon them.

                And because he was in Sage Mode, he managed not only to completely escape harm from the building’s collapse, but he managed to save the others from any, well, _serious_ injury, at least.  They were alive.  Some of them might even be conscious in a few minutes.

                But right now, he couldn’t help but wish that they were conscious already, because this was one UGLY guy.

                Granite-grey skin loomed upwards over a massive muscular body adorned with rock-like protrusions of bone that jutted out at painful angles.  Wild white hair cascaded down the beast’s shoulders, and jagged teeth growled at him beneath  two eyes burning with pure hatred and bloodlust.

                “Heh…”  Naruto tried a smile.  “…uh… so… who’re you?”

                After regarding him for a moment, the creature raised one massive rocky hand and made a fist.  “I am Doomsday.”  It rumbled.  Then it extended a long finger to point at Naruto.  “And you… are Dead.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Sakura heaved herself from the debris, eyes snapping about, assessing the situation.  Shino down.  Chouji wounded.  Tenten dazed but otherwise unhurt.  Neji, just above Tenten, arm raised in the chakra blast that’d destroyed the block aimed for her, completely unharmed.  Overtalented bastard.

                As for her own state, Sakura might have considered herself well, except for the bizarre figure standing proudly in the rubble before her.  Red cape, red boots, blue spandex, and red underwear.  None of that, however, was crazy enough anymore to make her doubt the evidence of her eyes.  No, the figure looked rather like a perfectly ordinary Superman, apart from the unkempt hair, the shambling hunched gait, the waxen-pale face, and the massive overbite.

                She glanced over to Neji.  “I’m not the only one seeing this, right?”

                The ugly face broke into a grin at her words.  “Goodbye.”  It rumbled.  “Me am not Bizarro.  Me am not sent to help you.  We play like friends…”  A crack of its knuckles punctuated the words.  “…until one of us is _alive_.”

 

 

* * *

 

                Sasuke picked himself from the remains of the wall and straightened up.  Reaching down, he picked up his sword and wiped the blade clear of dust.  He gave his own clothes a light brushing to make them a bit more presentable.

                Only then did he look up to face the angry vision floating in his way.  Dark hair, glaring blue eyes in a ruddy face.  Red cape, blue suit, red boots. 

                Red underwear.  How could you take a guy in red underwear seriously?

                Sasuke remembered the dented wall behind him and abandoned the question.  A man who could do that could dress anyway he liked.

                “So,” said Sasuke, walking forward.  “You must be Superman.”

                “And you’re Uchiha Sasuke.”

                Sasuke didn’t even bother to deny it.  “That’s my teammate in that tube.”

                “He tried to kill our friends.”

                “So?” shrugged Sasuke.  “I didn’t tell you that so you’d release him.  I told you that so you’ll at least know why you’re dying.”

                The man’s expression did not change.  “How kind.”

                “Don’t get used to it.”  Sasuke whipped up the sword.

                And then he charged.

 

 

* * *

 

                “I don’t like this, Kakashi.”  Tsunade frowned disapproval as the silver-haired ninja moved about the office, packing items into a small bag.

                He raised an eyebrow.  “That’s Kakashi-sama to you, Lady Tsunade.  You can dislike it all you want, but at the end of the day, I’m the Rokudaime Hokage, and I’m doing it.”

                “Yes, you’re the Hokage.  And AS the Hokage, you can’t just desert the village at a time of crisis like this!  The attack on Madarra’s camp is tomorrow!”

                “Konoha’s role in that attack is negligible,” said Kakashi, tossing a few specialized kunai into the bag alongside a case of soldier pills.  “And my role nonexistent.  I’m mostly supposed to stay in the command post as backup.  Backup the Raikage will never call for, in his current frame of mind.  No, I can serve the alliance, and the village, much better by tracking down Naruto and bringing him back before Madarra does.”

                “Then send someone else!”

                “How would they come back?  Sending someone there is worthless if they can’t return here.  And the best chance for returning is the Sharingan.”  Half-turning to face Tsunade, Kakashi tapped the side of his head and winked.  “And I have the only one left.”

                “Outside of Madarra,” nodded Shikaku from the doorway.

                Tsunade turned on him in exasperation.  “Oh, not you TOO!”

                Somewhat embarrassed, Shikaku gave a little shrug.  “Sorry, Lady Tsunade, but he’s right.  That episode yesterday means something’s happening in that dimension, wherever it is.  It could be Madarra.  Even if it isn’t, he might have felt the same thing and realized what it means.  We need to move now.  I think you may have other reasons for going, Hokage-sama, but your logic is inescapable nonetheless.”  Then he gave a puzzled frown.  “Though I’ll admit that I don’t see how you’re going to get there.  I thought you’d tried everything.”

                “Didn’t try this yet.”  Kakashi shrugged the sack onto his shoulder.  “It’s pretty simple, really, so simple I missed it in all the jutsus I was trying.  It’s just a variation of Kamui.”

                “Kamui?”  Tsunade blinked.  “But you can only…”

                “I can only teleport things I can see, yes.  That’s how it is with nearly every Sharingan jutsu.  I need to see the object or area I want to teleport, so that I can create the barrier around it.  That’s why I was working backwards from Kamui… trying to find out how to reverse it.”  Grinning, Kakashi walked over to one of the walls and opened the Hokage coat closet.  “Really, I should have been looking for a very simple piece of equipment.”

                Tsunade peered past him.  “A mirror?  But what does…”  Her eyes grew wide.  “Oh no.  You can’t seriously…”

                “Hokage, are you planning to use Kamui on YOURSELF?”  Shikaku had left the wall and stood a few paces away.

                “Why not?” shrugged Kakashi, admiring himself in the full-length mirror that the closet contained.  “Naruto and the others got through alive, or else the Kyuubi would be assembling.  If I can see myself in the mirror and form the barrier around myself…”

                “Then your eye can rip apart like a whirlpool trying to swallow itself,” finished Shikaku sarcastically.  “This is crazy, Hokage.  You have no way of knowing whether it’ll work.”

                Kakashi gave a nonchalant shrug.  “Well, not until I try, anyway.”  Checking the clock, he gave a little sigh.  “And everything is all ready now, except for one thing.”

                “What’s that?”

                The door BOOMED open with tangible drama.  “KAKASHI-SAMA!” roared a backpack-laden vision in green spandex.  “I am all in readiness for our youthful journey!”

                Shikaku got away with just a raised eyebrow, but Tsunade’s eyes were wide and her mouth was open.  “You’re bringing HIM?”

                “Once he heard how dangerous it was, there was no stopping him,” explained Kakashi wearily.  “I really didn’t have much of a choice.”

                “My students are in danger, Tsunade-sama!”  Gai snapped off a salute.  “I must not desert them in their hour of need.  It would be most unyouthful.”  Whirling, he gave Kakashi a brilliant smile and an enormous thumbs-up.  “I am ready, my eternal rival!  I will go to ten times as many dimensions as you, and if I cannot do that, I will run around the Fire Nation five times!”

                “Do you… really need all that stuff, Gai?”  Kakashi eyed the twenty-or-so packs Gai was carrying.

                “Yosh!”  Another thumbs-up.  “I must prepare myself for whatever the journey holds!”

                Simply sighing, Kakashi turned to face the mirror.  “Right then, everything’s ready.”  He said, as Gai bounded up alongside him.  “Shikaku, please witness that I appoint Lady Tsunade as Hokage until I return.”

                “Oh yay,” muttered Tsunade.

                “Well then.  Here we go.”  And, bracing himself, Kakashi faced the mirror and lifted the headband from his Sharingan.

 

 

* * *

 

                A dimension away, Luthor stopped in the middle of a very intricate chess move.  Slowly, a malicious smile spread across his features.

                “Hello.”  He whispered.


	27. Fusion

 

                The pain was greater than Kakashi could possibly have imagined.  It felt as though his brain had exploded and was desperately beating at the skull to make its escape.  His eye ached so badly he could only feel the edges of the pain around the void of pure agony in its center. 

And he felt weary, oh so weary, as he had never been before.  His bones were leaden, his muscles jelly, and he wanted nothing more than to just lie there on the floor and drift into oblivion…

But he could not.  Chakra exhaustion or no, the fact that he hurt so badly meant that he was alive, and that meant he had arrived in the strange and possibly hostile dimension that held his students.  This was no time—or place—to be sleeping.

With this thought burning in his mind, Kakashi clambered his way back to consciousness and struggled his hand into motion.  It found the clasp to his bag and managed to flick it open letting the items spill carelessly on the concrete.  His hand, still half-numb from pain and exhaustion, felt among the spilled contents until it found something round and small enough to be a soldier pill, and then it crawled back up to his mouth.

The pill didn’t act immediately, of course, but the pain was starting to fade.  He could feel the cool of the floor beneath his head, the wisp of air—a fan, probably—blowing against his back.  Even the white pain began to vanish from his eyes, showing darker forms against the glaring light.  And his hearing… he could hear again.  At last.

Specifically, he could finally hear someone talking.  Someone who had probably been talking for some time, apparently.

“…trouble for you to come here.”  It was saying.  “This arrival is almost suspiciously convenient, but I have never been one to be found wanting when opportunity knocks.  I had… refrained from trying this with the boy, for fear of losing my one viable specimen, but the addition of your eye allows me some room to…experiment in.”

 _Why is everyone always so fascinated with the Sharingan?  Sometimes that thing’s more pain than its worth_.  You didn’t need to be a suspicious, cynical ninja (as Kakashi was) to catch the danger in the situation.  The man obviously wasn’t trying to guard his tone a great deal, apparently feeling that a half-catatonic ninja was no great danger.  

Which, regrettably, was accurate.  But if this man knew about the Sharingan… “Where are the others?”

“Your friend?  I sent him off to a… distant locale.  It shouldn’t be a problem, he’ll do nobody no harm there.  Don’t worry your head about it.”

 _Gai._   Kakashi realized.  He’d forgotten all about the enthusiastic taijutsu specialist.  “What about… Naruto… and the others?”

“Ah…”  The man’s silhouette tilted its head back (the face was starting to come into focus now, a sharp, cunning face with beady predatory eyes).  “You meant them?”  Casually, as if enjoying itself, the silhouette steepled its fingers.  “Well, some of them are prisoners downstairs, some of them are getting beaten up by one of my… cruder associates, and some of them are fighting up above.  The ‘Naruto’ one, I believe, is currently battling one of the most dangerous creatures in existence.”

“Most…?”  Feeling and muscle power was being restored to Kakashi’s body, but he took care not to show it.  
                “Well, barring myself perhaps.  And the Kryptonian.  It was quite difficult to obtain him, the League had him locked away in an incredibly secure place.  But…”  the man gestured.  “I had to have a contingency plan.  A backup, in case I could no longer hide from the heroes.  And a backup plan always HAS to be the most powerful, because there can’t be anything to back IT up.”

 _Geez, what a talker._ “The League?”  He didn’t actually care who or what this ‘League’ was, but it was a useful way to distract this man. 

“Oh, that’s right.  You’re new here.  Well, never mind.  No need to bother yourself about that.”  The man, now fully in focus, smiled benevolently down on Kakashi.  “There are some other matters that you should be more concerned about.”

“Oh?”  Kakashi took the man’s step forward as his signal and rocketed upright into a battle poise.  “Actually, I already have plenty of things to worry over, thanks.  I think you’d better not add to them.”  Reaching up, he pulled his headband over his eye—he couldn’t see anything with it right now anyway.  “But if you’d show me the way out, I’d be awfully grateful.”

His host, who had stepped back slightly at the sudden motion, slowly lost the expression of surprise on his face and began to chuckle.  “Oh no, I think not.  You’re far too valuable to simply let out of our hands now.”

“I’ll be leaving one way or another,” warned Kakashi, summoning up what chakra he could.  Something about this man bothered him.  His body was full of little spasmodic movements, jutting out in different directions, and his skin almost seemed to be changing color as it almost _writhed_ over his face.  “You may find it more ‘valuable’ to let me leave the easy way.”

The man smiled again, in a slightly different way.  “Oh, I think you’ll find it difficult to leave.  You see, to leave this room, you will need to go through me.”

And suddenly the body was moving more than ever, it was swelling and shifting form.  The skin writhed more than ever, thickening the lean face and hardening the jaw as the color drained away to a lifeless grey.  Even the suit the man wore shrunk away to become an odd sort of techno battle armor.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.  THAT was one of the weirder things he’d seen.  “And who are you?”

“ **I was Luthor.  I was Darkseid** ,” responded the man, his voice now deep and gravelly.  “ **But now… I am both.”**

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

                _This guy’s pretty stinking strong._ Naruto reflected, as the bone-edged fist aimed for his head slid past and crashed into the support beam just behind _.  And fast.  And skilled.  And…_   He stopped thinking for a few moments as he whipped away from the creature’s next punch before high-tailing it out of the room, just before the entire ceiling crashed in.  _…he’s just pretty deadly all round_ , he decided, watching Doomsday rise from the rubble.

                Isolating Doomsday from a civilian battlefield had been surprisingly easy, the monster had more or less accomplished it by smashing downward at Naruto, missing, and instead smashing into Luthor’s underground base.  Which, considering that he had to punch through six feet of reinforced concrete to get there, was pretty impressive.

                Boy, was Naruto ever glad THAT punch hadn’t connected.

                Then again, he felt pretty glad most of the punches weren’t connecting, with what had happened the last time he’d been hit.  He’d never flown through three walls before, but it wasn’t really an experience he cared to repeat.  His ribs were just starting to reach bearable levels of pain, and it looked as though the bleeding had finally stopped, but the last thing he needed right now was to rip those wounds open again.

                The only thing that had kept that from happening was Naruto’s sage mode.  It gave him maybe a five-second advantage over Doomsday, allowed him to predict the creature’s movements _just_ before they became unavoidable.  If he hadn’t been doing light sparring with Superman for the past month or so, he might not have managed it.

                Doomsday was back.  Man, this guy was fast.  Naruto whipped up his hand just quickly enough to knock the incoming fist off target.  Ducking away from Doomsday’s other fist, he shot forward his left fist, aiming just to the right of the beast’s ugly face.  It missed, but that was fine—perfect actually.  The natural chakra he was using made it nearly the same as a direct hit, and you didn’t actually want to hit this guy straight on.  Naruto had found that out early on.  Apparently those bony ridges weren’t just for decoration.  His fist now sported a new set of scars.  Thank goodness for Kyuubi and his healing factor.

One hit wasn’t going to cut it here, though.  He followed up the shot with a right hook and dodged the creatures counter-blow.  Slipping under another hit, he managed a one-handed rasengan and slammed it into the beast’s chest. 

Doomsday  stumbled back a few feet, growled, and charged right back at Naruto.

Dangit!  Naruto had been so proud of himself for finally mastering the one-handed Rasengan, and he had the bad luck to have to use it against someone who absolutely did not CARE.  What was this guy’s skin MADE out of?

The fight was on again.  Step back.  Sweep forward and under.  Left hook, right uppercut, dodge left and down, kick out, roll away from oh crap.

Doomsday’s leg buried itself in Naruto’s midsection, slamming him down into the floor.  Mercifully, the floor beneath Naruto was slightly less durable than Naruto himself, and gave way with a resounding _crack_.  Or at least, Naruto hoped that was the floor.

The few seconds in free fall gave Naruto the time he needed to push himself away from Doomsday’s leg.  He landed more or less well, considering that he felt his whole chest was crushed.  Normally, he wouldn’t have considered a headfirst crash into pavement as a ‘good’ landing, but right now he felt that any landing NOT under Doomsday’s foot was a pretty good landing.

Naruto struggled upwards, barely able to hold himself erect.  The pain would be better in a minute, he knew, but he got the feeling Doomsday wasn’t going to give him a minute.  Swallowing, he glancing from Doomsday’s silhouette to the smashed levels above.  _C’mon guys, give me some help here…_

They came.  At long last, and against all hope, they came.  Naruto tried not to let the relief show in his face, tried not to look up at the two clones leaping down from the levels above.  Instead, he tried to do a passable imitation of a man bravely preparing to stand for a hopeless battle.

It must have worked.  Doomsday permitted himself a gruesome smile of malevolent gloating before the massive slab of concrete born between the two clones landed directly on top of him.

Not that that would kill him.  Or even stop him.  Neither Naruto nor his clones had any delusions on that subject.   But it would SLOW him, and right now, that was all Naruto needed.  His two clones shot over, their hands flying over his open palm, molding the crucial chakra that he could not form on his own.

The enormous concrete slab shattered apart, and Doomsday stepped into the light again, glowering with rage.  But Naruto was already halfway across the pavement toward him, and he threw his arm forward, letting the Rasenshuriken fly.

He’d given a slight upward tilt to the shot, and when it caught Doomsday in the chest, it lifted him clear off the ground, up and backwards.  He crashed through one ceiling, then another, then the six feet of concrete he’d broken through earlier.  And all this time, the Rasenshuriken went whirling at his chest.

Naruto leapt up the levels after his foe.  He had to be sure of this, he HAD to know, he simply couldn’t wait.  At the very least, he had to be there to give a finishing blow of some kind.

But when he got to the top, there was Doomsday.  Breathing hard, covered in dust, and looking more murderous than before, but he was still there.  The only sign that he’d been touched was a large gash in his middle that oozed blackish blood.

Naruto watched in resigned exasperation as the gash slowly closed until it was only a faint scar.  _It just figures._

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke had been without his Sharingan eyes for so long that he’d forgotten how bad their vision actually was.  When he’d first activated them here, there’d been some slight blurriness at first, but then they’d focused and acted completely normally.  And they’d been VERY useful in dodging Superman around the laboratory.  Even without chakra, normal humans seemed to emit a faint signature that the Sharingan could detect and use to predict their movements.  And, in a confined room full of fragile materials like this, Superman could not move at his full speed.

                Even so, Sasuke had been having difficulty, and realizing the need for haste, had decided to end the matter with a quick burst of Amaterasu.

                THAT had been a mistake.  The single burst had nearly burst his head open with the pain, and his vision had swam horribly and nearly disappeared.  The loss of control meant that the entire lab burst into flame, not just Superman.  Fortunately, Sasuke had not been facing Suigetsu at the time, unfortunately, Superman seemed to have the physical equivalent of a ‘body flicker’ technique which had allowed him to evade the flames.

                And that was only the least of his problems.  His Sharingan was virtually worthless for the moment, his head hurt horribly, and he had to keep watching himself to keep from falling into his own fires.  The state his head was in now, he didn’t really WANT to try putting the flames out.

                There were only two saving graces that had kept him alive so far.  One was Superman’s concern for, well, everything.  The meta was rushing around trying to fight him and save everything in the lab at the same time—a difficult task, to say the least.

                The other one was Sasuke’s cybernetic eye.  Luthor had insisted on upgrading it personally before their attack on the Watchtower (“protecting his investment” he called it), and though Sasuke was loath to rely on such a thing, right now it was all he had.  It fed heat signatures, estimated trajectories, and recognized hazards directly into his field of vision.  True, it was no Sharingan, but for the moment, it was enough.

                The aiming reticule in his vision blinked red at some sudden movement, and Sasuke leapt right on pure instinct.  Superman’s punch did not go _whoosh_ , it did not hiss, it simply glided soundlessly through the spot where he’d just been.  Sasuke, not waiting for the Man of Steel to recover, swung around his sword in a glittering arc, but Superman sidestepped it—a little too slowly, as Kusanagi grazed his arm and flicked some blood loose.

                Sasuke felt an odd sort of satisfaction at the way Superman’s eyes widened.  “Is that sword magic?”

                “Perhaps.”  Slashing sideways at the man, Sasuke let out a hiss of frustration at how easily the caped man dodged him.  “I’m a little puzzled as to what you mean by ‘magic,’ though.”

                “It probably fits.”  Superman nodded, practically vibrating away from Sasuke’s powerful thrust.  “We consider magic to be at least part of your ‘chakra’ thing.”

                Sasuke leapt forward, slashing desperately at the spot where Superman had just been.  _Why does this guy talk so much, anyway?_

                “Look, I’d really rather not hurt you.”  Superman’s voice came from somewhere just behind  and to the right of him.  “You’re obviously someone important to Naruto, and I’d really rather not explain to him how you got to be so injured.” 

                Sasuke, only half-listening, did a backwards somersault, formed a chidori in midair, and came down right at the voice’s point of origin.  The sparking dagger of electricity smashed into the smooth tile of the floor and split it down the middle.

                Superman was maybe an inch away from where he’d landed, but he didn’t look very surprised.  “Anyway, the League doesn’t make a habit of beating up criminals.”  He paused as if to consider this, dodging Sasuke’s thrusts almost absent-mindedly.  “Or at least, I don’t.  Anyway, I’d rather not hurt you,” he continued cheerfully, “but if you keep tearing up the facility like this, I’m afraid I’ll have to do just that.  And I can’t promise I’d be gentle, either.”

                “What kind of idiot are you, anyway?” grunted Sasuke.

                A shade of sadness crossed the man’s face.  “The last of my kind.”  He answered.

                “What a coincidence,” returned Sasuke.  “So am I.”

                And, reaching out with what chakra sensing ability he had, Sasuke seized the electricity from every light, computer, and high-voltage wire in the room, and hurled it all at the superhero’s enormous frame.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Me Bizarro hate to play with you!” boomed the ashen-pale Bizarro, beaming joyfully.  “Me Bizarro no am wanting to play with you NEVER!”

                “Shut up, you overgrown spandex-clad caveman!”  Sakura screeched in reply, her voice worn taut with frustration.  “They’re only a pair of axes, they won’t kill you!”

                Technically this was true, but the way Sakura WIELDED the two enormous weapons, each nearly half as big as herself, made it quite clear that she intended to do exactly that, possible or not.  So far, all she’d done was manage to make a number of very impressive dents in her brand-new pair of axes, and no impression at all on the dim-witted Bizarro, who seemed to be having the time of his life.

                Still, she was accomplishing her purpose, which was distracting Bizarro while Neji dug their other teammates out of the rubble.  The division of labor hadn’t exactly been planned, but it’d seemed like the best choice after Bizarro charged directly at her.

                Sakura felt tired and a little afraid, but mostly she felt very, very ANGRY.  Those axes had taken her several hours and nearly all her chakra to form, damn it!  Not to mention how hard it’d been to find an empty storage scroll that she could fit them in.  And now she was bashing them against this idiot’s head, and he didn’t even have the manners to NOTICE it!

                “Me Bizarro miss you!”  Sakura jerked out of her rage to the horrifying realization that said idiot was inside her defenses (this guy was FAST) and winding up for a hit.  Desperately she dodged sideways, but it was far too late, and a blow that could have shattered concrete hit her on the left shoulder.

                The floor, walls, and world rushed away from Sakura in a roar of wind until it reformed into a very solid wall that rammed into her back, knocking the air from her lungs.  She could HEAR the wall creak as she slid to the floor.

                “Goodbye!”  The monster’s ghastly form materialized out of the haze of pain filling her vision.  “Bizarro away again!  Bizarro…”

                Sakura didn’t bother to listen.  Her left arm shot out, axe at the ready.  Smoothly, cleanly, its dented blade struck Bizarro full in the face.

                No one had ever disputed Sakura’s physical strength, at least not since she became Tsunade’s apprentice.  Her chakra-enhanced muscles could—and had—bashed in solid boulders before.  Her regenerative ability, currently mending the bones in her back, might not quite be the equal of her teacher’s, but her strength was nearly as great.  The hit she’d just sunk into Bizarro could have demolished a small building.

                Unfortunately, in this case it just knocked the corrupted clone over.  He got to his feet, growling and rubbing his head.  “That felt good!  Bizarro make you alive for that!”

                “B-b-bring it, monkey boy.”  Sakura growled in return as she stood, vertebrae in her back slowly knitting back together.  Her hands were already moving in a new jutsu.

                Bizarro charged, batting aside the left-hand axe that Sakura swung around in an attempt to block him.  His fist shot out…

                …and punched through thin air.  Bizarror frowned for a moment, spotted Sakura again, shot at her, punched… and missed.  Again he saw her, again he attacked, again she wasn’t there.

                Suddenly Bizarro stopped, his slow mind finally realizing that something was not right here.  He glanced around the room.  “Bizarro no am wondering why ugly cherry trees not here for.”  He muttered.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “You all right?”  Neji  supported a gasping Sakura, just keeping her from hitting the ground.

                “No, damnit!”  She growled.  “But we don’t have time for that!  I can’t keep him in that genjutsu for long, his mind’s pretty resistant to it.  Difficult enough springing it on him after I knocked him down like that… Listen, buy me a couple minutes, will you?  There’s something… I might be able to match him with.”

                Neji barely suppressed a snort.  “Match?  Sakura, we need to pull out while he’s down like this…”

                “He’s Superman’s clone.  You honestly think we could hide from him?  Keep him busy.”

                “I’m a close-range fighter, not exactly suited…”

                A roar cut off Neji’s words.  Bizarro glanced around him, his eyes dangerously clear and angry.  “Me Bizarro understand what not going on around here, but me like it!”  His eyes focused on the two teenagers.  “Me Bizarro pay you for that!”

                The ninjas dove aside as the behemoth charged, but Neji managed to toss a kunai that glanced off his ear.  With another roar, the pale creature charged at him, fists glancing off of the Hyuuga’s protective bubble.

                _No way that can last,_ thought Sakura, digging through her satchel.  _Need to do this quickly.  Ah, here it is._   She withdrew an odd-looking backpack, a small clear bag filled with a strange green liquid, fitted with a few straps to tie it around the body, and three clear IV tubes of uncertain purpose.

                Hastily she struggled into it, tightening the straps to make it as secure as possible.  Picking up one of the tubes, she inserted the hypodermic needle at its end into her left wrist, binding it firmly into place with a few winds of medical tape.  A few seconds sufficed to accomplish the same process to the other.  _Should really have done this before the mission…_ thought Sakura,  tying down both tubes at different  points along her shoulder, arm and elbow _…was hoping I wouldn’t have to_. 

A fresh roar from Bizarro made her look up, just in time to see the creature’s massive fist smash through Neji’s whirling kaiten.  The Hyuuga went flying through the air, smashing against the opposite wall.

                _No time now._   Hurriedly her hands flew to the back of her neck, finding the third tube and its corresponding needle.  A second’s searching found the appropriate vein and she plunged in the needle, again fixing it with tape.

                Sakura had learned a lot from Tsunade about storing and regenerating chakra, but she’d never been able to increase her chakra reserves, mostly because she was always using chakra.  In battles, she typically had to rely on a steady stream of soldier pills.

                But some of the innovations of this age had gotten her thinking.  Why did you always have to stop and take soldier pills?  If you needed a constant supply, why not develop something that fed them to you automatically?

                Something like, say, a mobile IV pack that fed a ‘soldier solution’ directly into your bloodstream at timed intervals?

                Taking a deep breath, Sakura pressed the release valve on the backpack and closed her eyes as she felt the solution run into her veins.  Her last coherent thought was: _I wonder if I really should have added that ‘Venom’ stuff we stole from the League…_

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “J’onn, we’ve got Bane down here!  He must’ve found a new version of Venom or something, he’s even more unstable than ever!  I need reinforcements!”

                “ _Negative, Terrific.  Parasite is leading the attack on the north side, I’m needed there.”_ J’onn’s frustrated voice filled the earpiece. “ _You’re going to have to hold them without me.”_

                “Roger!”  Terrific shouted back, deflecting a blow from his Juugo-clone attacker.  “Terrific out!”  Something green whizzed in front of his face and he jerked back instinctively, just in time to see his attacker double over in pain.  Green Arrow jogged up, his bearded face grim. 

                “No cavalry, huh?”

                Terrific shook his head.  “Not today.”

                “Where’s Big Blue?”  Green Arrow knocked a missile to the string and let fly.  “He was tearing this place up a few minutes ago.”

                Terrific threw a quick, analytical look over the battlefield and sent a few T-Spheres spinning off in strategic directions.  “Inside.  Someone penetrated the base… Uchiha Sasuke, I think.  This battle is just the distract…”

                Green Arrow’s body barreled into him, knocking him to the ground, letting a blast of pure blue chakra crackle overhead.  From the ground, Arrow aimed and fired, receiving a sharp cry of pain as a reward.  “One heck of a distraction.” He muttered, helping Terrific back up.

                “Mm.”  Terrific agreed.  “But possibly quite necessary.  In all fairness, its only the strength of this attack that’s keeping any reinforcements from going to Superman.”

                Green Arrow snorted, scanning the battlefield.  “Superman IS the reinforcements.”

                “Reinforcement, Arrow.  Singular.”

                “Singu… look, man, give me a break, okay?” complained Green Arrow, throwing the scientist an exasperated look.  “Point is, Superman don’t need reinforcements.  We do.”

                “ _Doesn’t_ need reinforcements.”  There was a slight twist to Terrific’s mouth.

                “Will you…”

                The conversation was broken by a sudden roaring laughter from within the mob.  Question’s limp body, overcoat and all, came flying out of the skirmish to tumble onto the ground.

                “Oh crap.  Here he comes again.”

                Terrific ignored Arrow.  “Terrific to Section 7!  Gather around my signal, Bane is attacking on West Entrance, I repeat…”

                Several clones blew aside in a whirlwind of rage as a massive man broke through the mob, charging straight at the two heroes.  Terrific had only a few seconds to record impressions—a dark leather costume, complete with a ghastly mask.  Bare, burly arms bursting with muscle and knotted vein, decorated by the few glowing tubes that fed strength into his body.  Beady red eyes set in a tan face above a grimly smiling set of teeth.

                Then the giant was upon them and he had no more time for impressions, only action.  Arrow had dodged right, he rolled left and came up in a battle stance.  Apparently, Bane had decided Arrow was more dangerous, as he’d turned his back to Terrific.  Terrific’s eyes roamed over Bane’s back, observing the musculature, the defense the suit warranted,  and most importantly, the small tube feeding into the back of the skull.

                A barely perceptible gesture from Terrific’s right hand sent his three T-Spheres whirling around the giant’s head, flashing brightly, blaring loud signals.  As Bane swatted at the bobbing robots, Terrific dashed forward and leapt for the super-criminal’s back.

                For someone so large, Bane moved frighteningly fast.  His enormous, beefy hand swept around and knocked Terrific out of the air, sprawling him flat on his back. 

                Bane stalked toward the fallen scientist, ignoring the stun arrows bouncing off his prodigious back.  Somewhat shakily, Terrific once again stood to his feet, poised for battle.  He did not try to block the attacks that came at him, he merely dodged and retreated, giving ground, always giving ground before the enormous man.  His T-Spheres no longer simply whirled about Bane’s head, they knocked against it, they threw themselves under his feet.  One even exploded directly before Bane’s eyes.  Yet still the super-criminal charged after him.  Finally Terrific came up short before a vast pile of debris, formerly a building.  He could not jump it and he had no time to climb it, so he simply stood and waited for Bane’s assault.

                Bane came charging through the ruins, tossing aside unhappy Juugo clones as he came.  Two remaining T-Spheres desperately threw themselves against his head, trying to make some kind of impact on his brain.  Terrific ducked under his first blow, dodged his second, deflected the third, caught his fourth punch in a reverse grip and tried to wrest the tube free from the wrist.  Bane’s other hand reached out and seized the man.

                At this point, three stun arrows smacked straight into the back of Bane’s head.  In one smooth motion, Bane whirled around and, with devastating accuracy, hurled Mr. Terrific’s form straight at Green Arrow.  The two men collided and fell over in a heap.

                Arrow stirred as the thumps of Bane’s feet grew louder.  “Hey… T… you’re on top of me.”  He wheezed.

                “Got three ribs broken,” answered Terrific through gritted teeth.  “Possibly internal bleeding of the lung…  Get it seen to later… aaAARGH!”  He rolled off of Arrow.

                Shaking, Arrow groped for his bow and stood erect, facing Bane.  The super-criminal slowed his advance and stopped, grinning maliciously at the hero.  Arrow’s hand flew back to his quiver—empty.

                Green Arrow swallowed.  Terrific groaned.  Bane grinned.

                “DYNAMIC ENTRY!”

                Before Green Arrow’s startled eyes, a green meteor fell from the heavens and buried one orange-streaked tendril in Bane’s head, knocking him to the ground in one blow.  The super-criminal rose up nearly immediately, roaring with rage, but found he was flailing uselessly at empty air.  The green streaked around him, past him, under him, INTO him with the force of a whirlwind.  Bane was getting hit seventeen different ways and he had no idea how it was happening.

                Neither, for that matter, did Green Arrow or Terrific.  “Hey T,” whispered the archer.  “That Kid Flash guy got any relatives?”

                Terrific shook his head, not turning from the scene.  “None that dress in green.  I wonder…”

                “PRIMARY LOTUS!” 

                Both men’s heads jerked upwards to follow Bane’s sudden and startled ascent into the air, propelled irresistibly by the force of the green whirlwind.  His body was jerking convulsively with each hit, his little red eyes were wide and startled, and mouth was open in soundless pain.

                About twenty feet above the ground, the ascent slowed and finally froze at an apex, just long enough for the two men to glimpse the bowl-haired attacker who whipped around to grab Bane.

                Green Arrow’s mouth fell open.  “Hey, that looks just like…”

                “Yes.”  Terrific sighed.

                “SECONDARY LOTUS!”  Bane and his green-clad rider came hurtling earthward, smashing into a convenient pile of debris with terrific force.  The impact kicked up an incredible amount of dust, and Arrow and Terrific shielded their eyes from the gust of wind.

                When they opened their eyes again, it was to behold a spandex-clad, bowl-haired, massively grinning man.

                “Yosh!”  He said, by way of greeting.  “No man can mistake the youthful vigor of your men, nor the dastardly intentions of your foes!  From far above I perceived your plight and…”

                “Whoah, whoah.”  Arrow held up his hands.  “Far above?”

The man stopped, as if surprised.  “Why yes.  As you know, I entered your world from nearly twenty thousand feet—“ he pointed upwards   “—up there.”

                “What?”  Arrow gaped.  “And… how did you get down here?”

                “Gravity, most likely,” muttered Terrific.

                Arrow shot him an annoyed look.  “I mean, how did you survive?”

                “Yosh!”  The man gave an energetic thumbs-up.  “I shifted my weight using the packs I was carrying and diminished my momentum by bouncing off your youthful buildings!”

                “You… what?”

                “Who are you?”  Terrific interposed.

                The man’s grin widened, if possible.  “I am Maito Gai, the Sublime Green Devil of Konoha!   I am the Whirlwind of Passion emboldened by the Flames of Youth!  I…”

                “Yes, yes.”  Terrific nodded.  “Konoha.  I see.”

                Arrow was still eyeing the man’s get-up.  “Do you guys roll off an assembly line or something?”

                “Hmm?”  The man’s face scrunched in sudden confusion.

                “Your student, Rock Lee, is here.”  Terrific cut in smoothly.  “Or rather, not here, but we know where he is.  He’s busy fighting elsewhere.  We’d help him, but…”  Terrific gestured at the battlefield.  “We’re a little busy.”

                “Ah-ha!”  The man stood erect and pounded his chest enthusiastically.  “I shall clear this battlefield in twenty minutes, and if I cannot do that, I will…”

                “Yes, that would be fine, thank you.”  Terrific waved wearily.  “Off you go.”

                “Uh… hey.”  Arrow stopped Gai just as he was about to leave.  “What… ah… what made you decide to attack that guy?  I mean, how’d you know we were the good guys?”

                Gai’s face was full of friendliness.  “Your costume is most youthful, friend Archer!  But moreover…” his face grew slightly crafty, “…I am aware of the effects of the curse seal and what it resembles.”  He glanced around.  “I’m not quite so certain how there are so many affected here, but I shall find out!  Yosh!”  And with that, he sped away.

                From a distance, the two men heard his booming voice.  _“Ah-ha!  And who are you, my youthful friend?”_

_“They call me the yellow-skinned wacky man!  But I prefer the Creeper.”_

_“You are well met, friend Creeper!”_

                Arrow glanced at Terrific.  The scientist shrugged.  “Takes all kinds.”

* * *

 

 

                _“Fuuton: Kazekiri!”_

                An invisible gust of razor-sharp wind sliced into Doomsday, who simply shrugged it off and leapt at Naruto.  A short bout of punching followed before Naruto’s two clones were able to tackle Doomsday from behind, giving Naruto the short interval he needed to escape.

                _Wind jutsus are no good_ , thought he as he ran, _I never have time to form more than one, and they’re not strong enough anyway.  They don’t seem to be working as well as usual… probably that elemental stuff Sakura was talking about._ Naruto felt a passing regret he hadn’t listened very well to that particular talk.

                Even if it hadn’t hurt him badly, Doomsday had not appreciated the Rasenshuriken Naruto’d thrown into his gut.  They were running around the streets—or what was left of them—now, describing a generally tight circle about the partly-destroyed building disguising Luthor’s base.  Naruto had no wish to destroy the city any more than he had to.

                _Strengths.  Think Strengths, Naruto, not Aptitudes.  Aptitude is an element classification.  Superman told you about Strengths.  Strengths and weaknesses.  That’s all any battle is, the correct match-up of those two._

_So… Let’s focus on the guy’s weaknesses a moment._

_…_

_Maybe it’d be better to start with his strengths.  He’s fast, strong, fierce, smart, (practically) invulnerable, gigantic…_   Naruto blew out a breath.  _Hoo boy.  Okay, so how do you react?  Stay out of reach, run like heck, but in a contained circle, and try to find a way to slow him down and hit him hard._

                But how was he to slow him down?  Naruto thought a moment.  Weaknesses.  He’d had a lesson with Kakashi about weaknesses, it’d ended with Kakashi being defeated by his obsession with _Isha Isha Tactics_.  But how did that apply here?

                _This guy… this guy is obsessed with fighting._   Naruto realized, stealing a glimpse back.  _He KNOWS which one is the real me, but he fights all three of us, even if he doesn’t have to.  The problem is, I need all three of me just to get any kind of attack that will do any good._

                Naruto’s little problem was solved by a sudden upheaval of rocks and a violent green explosion.  A somewhat battered-looking Green Lantern floated into the air, ring powered up and ready for action.  Attracted by the light, Doomsday glanced over and smiled.

                “Lantern, look…!”  But Doomsday was already on the ex-Marine.  For the moment, it looked like he could handle himself, but Naruto didn’t intend to find out how long.  A plan was forming in his mind, and it needed to be put into action QUICKLY.

                Two clones popped back into existence alongside Naruto, but only one of them started shifting the chakra in Naruto’s hand.  For this plan, he’d need to form the original Rasengan himself, one-handed.  The other clone bounded off, headed straight for Doomsday.

                Naruto tried not to watch as his clone distracted Doomsday.  It really hurt to see yourself get beat up like that.  In any case, he was buying Green Lantern a momentary advantage, which in turn gave Naruto a few extra moments, which in turn…

                Naruto’s clone exploded into smoke under Doomsday’s fist.  Lantern had only a second to gape at it in shock before Doomsday’s other fist plowed into him and sent him flying across the square.

                Oops.  Time up.  At least it solved his problem of getting Lantern out of the way.  As the whirling roar behind him grew louder, Naruto dashed forward and let fly his second Rasenshuriken, feeling the sage chakra leave him as he did.  The whirling orb of energy whizzed through the air, completely missing Doomsday and instead smashing into the building just behind him.

 The monster turned to Naruto with an almost puzzled loo, but before he could make any move, two things happened.  The one was Naruto’s remaining clone rushing up and engaging him in distractionary warfare.

The other was the slow creak of the building behind him slowly falling forward.

Reaching out with his mind, Naruto dispersed one of his two remaining sage clones and again felt the rush of familiar energy into his body.  No one was in that building, he’d made especially sure of that before hitting it.  Again, the building wouldn’t stop Doomsday, but it should slow him… just enough for Naruto’s REAL plan.

As the building fell atop Doomsday and Naruto’s ordinary clone, Naruto dashed forward, summoning two new helpers to replace the old one.  He held out both his hands, concentrating on forming the one-handed Rasengan he had finally perfected.  Each clone worked furiously over the spinning globes, forming the natural chakra, shaping it, sharpening them into two identical Rasenshurikens, one in each hand.

Naruto suddenly realized he had a new problem.  He COULDN’T throw these.  Throwing one would make him lose his grip on the other, which would be worse than useless.  He’d have to deliver them both at point-blank range.

The realization helped him put on a bit of extra speed as he flew over the rubble toward the collapsed building.  Already the debris was heaving, swelling… Naruto leapt into the air just as it exploded outwards and Doomsday clambered into the light.  His two clones charged straight at the monster, only to be contemptuously dispersed with two blows.  As he came whistling down on Doomsday’s head, he had the gratification of seeing the beast look up and stare in sheer shock.

Both Rasenshurikens hit, straight down, into the ground.  But apparently, they were no longer above Luthor’s complex, and instead he and Doomsday plowed downwards into solid earth, dirt and rock giving way before them.

 _It’s working!_ was Naruto’s thought, before he saw the bone-studded fist headed for his face. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Really, Mr. Uchiha, this entire display is rather unnecessary.”

                Sasuke cursed silently and continued slicing away.  The vision in his left Sharingan had finally been restored, at least as much as it was going to be, and he could once again predict Superman’s movements with proper alacrity.    However, although he could now evade the blows Superman sent at him (which Sasuke couldn’t help feeling were FAR too weak), he still couldn’t touch Superman himself.  The man was _fast_ , faster than Naruto, faster than Lee, faster than anyone Sasuke had yet met.  And he couldn’t lay a finger on him.

                He had no intention of trying his Sharingan attacks again.  His last-bid attempt at shoving all the electricity into Superman had simply made the room go completely dark, it had left no noticeable effect on the Man of Steel.  His only real chance, as he saw it, lay with his sword Kusanagi.  Of course, for that to work, he had to _hit_ him with it.

                Which brought him back to the original problem.

                Sasuke slashed at the position where Superman would be in ten seconds, only to find that Superman was already past it.  He barely managed to dodge the blow Superman would send at him in three seconds, and missed Superman’s arm with Kusanagi at the eleven-second mark.

                Struck with a sudden burst of inspiration, Sasuke drew to a halt.  “Very well.”  He said loudly.  “Let us talk.  Face to face, as men.”

                There was a sudden blurring of motion and Superman was there, in front of him, floating serenely above the floor.  “Very sensible.  Well?  What would you like to talk about?”

                “I presume you want to talk about my surrender,” answered Sasuke sardonically.  “That’s what you’re aiming for ultimately, isn’t it?”

                The man shrugged.  “Ultimately.  But we don’t have to talk about that yet, or even at all if you don’t want to.  We can go back to fighting right now, if you wish, though I’d really prefer not.”  The hero’s face softened a moment.  “You’re a young man of such promise.  Your gifts could be of such service to the common good.”

                “Gifts?  Serve?”  Sasuke sneered.  “Are you talking about my Sharingan?  It belongs to me, and I serve no one.”

                “But they’re meant to be used for others.  Don’t you see that?”  Superman persisted.  “Your gifts, your… powers, are given to you for a purpose.”

                “Yeah.”  Sasuke brought up Kusanagi.  “To kick your ass.”

                The sword slashed right.  Superman smiled and went left, only to find three feet of razor-sharp metal slicing across his stomach.  He staggered backward, gaping at the sword that appeared out of thin air.

                “It’s called a genjutsu, Superman.  Never look an Uchiha in the eye, not that you’re likely to have another chance.”  Sasuke smiled grimly at the superhero and lunged, spearing him in the shoulder.  “Tell me, how is it to feel pain, Mr. Invincible?”

                Superman’s hand shot out, grabbing hold of Kusanagi’s edge in mid-swing.  Blood spurted from his hand and flowed freely down the blade, but he did not falter as he looked up, teeth gritted, and replied.  “I’ve had worse.”

                A blast of heat vision blew Sasuke completely over.

 

* * *

 

 

                “Have you ever seen Sakura like this?”

                Tenten threw her teammate a disbelieving glance.  “What, you mean in a homicidal frenzy, or swollen to nearly twice her size?”

                “Either, I suppose.”  Neji threw a somewhat concerned glance back to the battle.

                “No.  Ino’s mentioned some things about Sakura’s inner… psychosis, but never anything specific.”  Tenten wrinkled up her nose.  “And I’ve NEVER seen her body swell up like that.  Good grief, her bicep is practically the size of her head.”  A shrug.  “Still, apparently she’s sane enough to still be using Tsunade’s jutsu, and so long as she’s keeping that idiot busy, I say we should be grateful.”

                A nod expressed Neji’s half-agreement as he levered an enormous rock off of Chouji.  “I suppose it’s just the way she’s laughing that gets to me.”  He admitted, gripping Chouji under the arms and dragging him off.  “And… she doesn’t actually seem to be doing our opponent any damage.”

                “Yeah, well…”  Tenten stood upright and rolled up her sleeves.  “We’ll see about that.”

                Neji eyed her.  “Don’t do it.”

                An innocent look filled Tenten’s features.  “Whatever do you mean?”

                “You KNOW what I mean.  If my analysis is correct—“ Neji threw another glance over at the battle, “—this creature is an imitation of Superman.  Whatever tricks that robotic arm of yours has…”

                “…up its sleeve?”  An impish grin played around Tenten’s mouth.

                Neji glared.  “WHATEVER TRICKS IT HAS, they won’t be sufficient enough for our purposes.  Bullets just bounce off Superman, they won’t do much more to our caveman.  And I’m worse than useless.  That thing would demolish me at close range.  We should slip away and regroup…”

                “Yeaaaah…”  Momentarily, Tenten paused and studied the berserker battle raging on the other side.  “I don’t really see Sakura going along with that plan, Neji.  Not like she is now.”  She stood up.  “Look, let me try, at least.  There’s a… special fire mode on this thing that might do him some damage.  It it doesn’t work… well, Sakura’ll probably just keep at him, the way she is now.  So we’ll still have our distraction.”  Flexing her arm, she glanced over at Neji.  “Look after Chouji.”

                Tenten’s hand split apart like a flower, exposing a glowing bright muzzle.  Little hatches on her arm slid open for ventilation, and the whole prosthetic began to glow with new power.  A small giggle of malevolent delight escaped Tenten, and then she was off.

                Neji shook her head.  “She just wants to try that thing out.”  He muttered.

                Of course, Tenten was already too far away to hear his words, and even if they had she would have paid no attention.  She leapt over the rocks toward the battling duo, bracing her prosthetic with her real arm.  Already she could pick out Sakura’s words.  “AH!  Take that you puny little heap of… GAAH!  Oh, that is IT!  That IS IT!  You are SO GOING DOWN MISTER!  You’re DEAD!  I’ll smash you up into little bits and spread your bits on my garden and grow Zucchini from them and mash THOSE up and flush them down the…”

                “Hey!” yelled Tenten, partly to distract Bizarro, partly because she really, really didn’t want to hear what Mega-Sakura planned to do after that.  “Over here, Boulder Brain!”

                Bizarro turned.  “Goodbye, big boy, I know who you…  UGH!”  Caught off guard by Mega-Sakura’s devastating left-hook, he stumbled backwards and half-fell from the heap of debris.

                “GAAAH!” shouted Mega-Sakura, cradling her fist as she rushed forward.  “It even hurts when I PUNCH you, you bastard!  What’s that…”

                Sakura never had a chance to finish.  With literally breathtaking speed, Bizarro rocketed upwards and delivered a punch, straight to Sakura’s stomach, that sent her flying across the room.  “Ugly man polite to me Bizarro.”  He sneered.  “Me Bizarro like that.”

                “Yeah?  Like THIS!”  A stream of rockets flew from Tenten’s arm, smashing against the ceiling.  Enormous chunks of rock tumbled to the ground, smashing into Bizarro.  Most, he batted aside with childlike ease, but more than a few struck him directly.

                Meanwhile, Tenten had wasted no time.  She leapt, from the floor to the remaining ceiling, and knelt there, lining her arm cannon up with the—currently stationary—Bizarro.  “Authorization voice code: Tenten.”  She whispered.  “Expose Blue Kryptonite Power Core, prepare for maximum projection.”

                This time, her entire arm split apart like an umbrella, exposing a small glass cylinder just below the elbow, a glass cylinder with a tiny bit of glowing blue rock inside.  The top of it blew off, energy crackled all along the prosthetic, and in a sudden violent explosion, a massive burst of blue energy shot toward Bizarro.

                But Bizarro had finished with the debris, and was already moving aside when Tenten fired.  The man who moves faster than a speeding bullet is impossible to hit, even by a master marksman.  The bluish radiation glanced off his left shoulder, but left the bulk of him untouched.  The next instant, Bizarro was on top of Tenten, ripping her prosthetic cleanly off her arm.

                “That feel GOOD!”  He roared, eyes glinting green with rage.  “Me Bizarro LIKE THAT!  ME BIZARRO MAKE YOU ALIVE FOR THAT!”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Chouji didn’t know where Neji was.  He didn’t know where Tenten was.  He didn’t know where Sakura was.  He DID know where Shino was, because he’d woken up beside a badly-wounded and rather comatose Shino.  But for the moment, none of that mattered.  What mattered was where Shikamaru was.

                They’d come here to rescue Shikamaru.  They’d been on here to rescue Shikamaru.  Right now, there was some enormous commotion going on back there—someone screaming, someone yelling, a few explosions here and there—but that didn’t matter.  They were here to rescue Shikamaru.

                Among his friends, Chouji had never been the smart one.  That had been Neji, Sasuke, Shino… Shikamaru.  So Chouji had never understood WHY it had taken them so long to really try to rescue Shikamaru, why everyone had always been ranting about Sasuke.  Surely it was more important to rescue one’s teammates?  But he was never the smart one, so he kept his ideas to himself.

                But now they were here.  Now they were finally rescuing Shikamaru, like they should have from the beginning.  He’d apparently lost the others somewhere, but that was alright.  He’d find Shikamaru, and then they’d found the others.

                What a lot of noise.  Now the ground was rumbling.  What on EARTH was going on back there?

                No matter.  Shikamaru was not back there.

                It hurt to think right now.  But then, it hurt to do anything.  It hurt to crawl to the wall, to push himself upwards to a standing position, to take his slow, halting steps forward.  So as Chouji did all these things, he thought too.

                Mostly, he thought about what Shikamaru had told him about prisoners.  You would keep prisoners deep in the base.  Not anywhere near the exit, because you wanted prisoners to stay away from there.  Not anywhere near anything essential, either, because you didn’t want them blowing up the generator or something to cover their escape.  You WOULD keep them fairly close to the guard’s quarters, because it would be nearly impossible to escape through a place so full of soldiers.

                But how did that help him?  He didn’t know where any of those things were.  And even if he did, it would take him ages to reach there, at the rate he was crawling.

                A fly buzzed along to him on the wall.  Lazily, he swatted at it, missed, and nearly fell.  The fly scornfully evaded his flailing hand and perched on his nose.  Chouji stared at it for a moment.  There was something familiar about it.

                Ah.  A kikai bug.  Shino had been following one, hadn’t he?  One who knew where Shikamaru was?  Follow the bug, that sounded reasonable… Chouji brushed it off his nose, but it simply flew back and perched there again.  For a moment, Chouji thought it raised an eyebrow at him.

                Let’s see.  Shikamaru had told him of a non-Aburame way of communicating with certain ‘messenger’ insects, hadn’t he?  It started out… “Shino no Konchu…”  The insect lifted off expectantly and Chouji’s memory failed him.  “…Shikamaru?”

                Apparently that was enough, for the insect zipped around in a small circle and then flew off down the hallway… far faster than Chouji could manage at his current rate.

                Unbidden, some words of Atom Smasher came to him.  “ _It’s all about knowing how to use your mass—not just how much, but what precise segments.  Find out what segments of your mass can best bear the pressure you need for the job.”_

                Chouji smiled unexpectedly and took his hand from the wall.  “Human Bullet Tank.”  He whispered.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Darkness blotched the edges or Naruto’s vision.  Every joint in his body was on fire with pain, and every muscle ached with weariness and stress.  He could feel, as through a haze, the countless bruises and cuts on his body.  His ears were ringing, his nose was clogged with blood, and his hands felt numb and lifeless.  Even his omniscient Sage Sense was blurred by occasional flashes of white agony. 

Distantly, he was aware of trading punches with a truly raging Doomsday.  In his blurry, darkening vision, Doomsday looked more ghastly than ever.  Cuts and slashes adorned his head and shoulders, and the black ooze seeping from them flowed down the rest of his body in a grisly display.  Half of Doomsday’s bony projections were shattered and broken, and one great eye had gone dark.

 _“You just don’t know when to quit, Naruto.”_ Superman?  Was that Superman?  Good old Superman.  He wouldn’t have any problem with this guy, not Superman.  “ _It’s your greatest strength.”_

A bony fist grazed the edge of his jaw.  Searing, white-hot pain shot up and down it, and Naruto knew his jaw had been dislocated.  Broken, maybe.

“ _You’ve become as strong… if not stronger than me.”_   Kakashi too?  Hey, Kakashi, you should meet Superman, he’s a great guy, you’ll like him, he never leaves behind his teammates…

His fist struck something.  The bones in his wrist creaked, the nerves screamed, but his enemy’s body cracked.

 _“There is only one thing that matters if you are a shinobi, and that is, the guts never to give up.”_ That one… that one sounded familiar.  “ _Never give up, and never go back on your word.  That’s your ninja way, and as your mentor, I have no business whining!”_

That… pervy sage?  Pervy sage, you’ll really love Superman.  He’s got x-ray vision, maybe he can teach you that jutsu… wait…. You’re dead, aren’t you, pervy sage.  But…  Oh.  I’m hallucinating.

His feet slipped a little on the rock and he half-stumbled, but it was just as well because Doomsday might have hit him otherwise.

 _“You’re too wild, Naruto, but not bold enough.  You’re used to either having a ton of power or not much at all.  And when you have a ton, you generally don’t have much control over it.”_   Superman.  I’m still hallucinating.  “ _Hopefully this won’t happen often, but every so often, you’ll meet an enemy that you’ll have to go all out—really all out on.  Some that can’t be talked to, reasoned with, or fooled by.  When that happens, you need to think big.  Not as though you were bound by the earth, the sea, or the sky, but as if they were all simply things to use as your battlefield.  And chances are, when you meet someone like that, it’s going to be a simple battle.  No fancy moves, no fancy jutsus, just pure and simple pounding.  So pound him into the ground.”_

Through the blinding pain, Naruto grinned.  Good old Superman.

He gave a clumsy little backflip to buy himself just a little extra space from Doomsday.  His fingers wove frantically as he whipped away from the savage punches being thrown at him from every direction.  Already he could feel the chakra building.

“ _Kage Bunshin no jutsu_!”

The field EXPLODED with Narutos.  They were behind every rock, over every bit of ground, clinging to every building within ten feet.  They were all bruised and bleeding, but they were also very, VERY mad.

Doomsday disappeared under a sea of Narutos as the real one stumbled back for a moment.  Practically on impact they poofed out of existence, as if unable to bear the strain of simply hitting Doomsday, but that was alright, Naruto didn’t actually need them to hit him.

Gathering all his strength together, Naruto leapt, straight up, into the air above Doomsday.  Three other clones leapt beside him, he could spare no more at his current chakra level.  With a single, grim nod, they raised their hands and chanted: “ _Senpo: Choodama Rasen Tarengan_!”

Three giant Rasengans blossomed into life on their palms.  Down they plunged, breaking through the layers of a few thousand Narutos, straight into Doomsday.   All three hit him with tremendous force, smashing him completely through the six feet of concrete that covered the ground and back into Luthor’s complex.

The first giant Rasengan lasted for the top seven levels.

The second giant Rasengan blasted through two more and a blast-shielded chamber of some kind.

The real giant Rasengan, Naruto’s Rasengan, lasted far longer, and he didn’t even know how many levels they’d broken through before they came smashing into a room filled with large, cylindrical objects.  Despite himself, Naruto glanced at them as they flew past.

_Missiles?_

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Green Lantern stirred and wished he hadn’t.  It hurt simply to lie there, but it hurt far, far more to move.  A tiny part of him noted that at least the pain meant he was still alive, but at the moment he felt it hard to appreciate that fact.

                A mere thought activated his ring, placing him in a bodycast of pure green willpower.  But even this small adjustment sent pain shooting through his body and into his mind, nearly causing him to pass out.

                _I can’t move._   He thought.  _I can’t talk.  I’m miles away from any help… except the ninjas, and they won’t.  I can barely use my ring without fainting._ For a moment he closed his eyes.  _You wuss._

                Still in his green bodycast, he floated upright, ignoring the new shoots of pain that came from gravity shifting on his different broken bones.  He could see nothing except shattered, twisted concrete in every direction, surmounted by a thick haze of dusty fog  that prevented his darkened vision from further sight.

                Virgil… where’s Virgil?  Virgil’s a good kid, he shouldn’t have to die here.  Die?  What am I talking about, no one’s dying… are they?  Virgil, don’t die.  You’ll be a good hero, a great hero.  I saw you as a great hero.

                He commanded the ring to float higher, and it obeyed, but sluggishly, loosely.  He was losing his focus, his awareness was starting to fade.  But he had to find Virgil, he had to find Static…

                A truly tremendous BOOM rumbled from the earth up, etching the battlefield in pure white.  The shockwave blew apart the fog and for an instant Green Lantern saw the buildings, their windows shattering from the sound of the explosion.  The ground did not merely shake, it erupted, great stones cracking and flinging themselves into the air.

                One of them struck him.

                Green Lantern jerked forward and dropped from the sky like a puppet with its strings cut.  The ground thudded against his chest, bending bones into new and interesting places, and completely expelling all air from his lungs.

                No chance of using the ring now.  With the last vestiges of his consciousness, John Stewart, Green Lantern, lifted the ring up to his mouth and whispered:  “Initiate Lantern Search.”

                The ring slipped off his finger and floated in mid-air. 

                With a sigh of contentment, John Stewart leaned back and allowed his thoughts to drift.  He hoped Virgil was okay.  He probably was.  He’d be okay, he’d look after Warhawk when he got older and… oh Warhawk… Shayera…

 

* * *

 

 

 

                Neji blinked away the ringing in his ears, waved away the dust, and slowly picked himself up from the floor.

                How… he remembered vaguely running at Bizarro, making a strike at his knee, being practically ignored as Mega-Sakura continued to pummel him uselessly.  He’d ducked to pick up Tenten from where she lay, hoping to drag her back to where he’d placed Shino and Chouji.  Then there’d been a loud crashing noise, as from far away, and the building had shaken a little, and then…

                Neji activated his Byakugan.  It was relatively easy to pick out his teammates forms, though what on EARTH Chouji was doing he couldn’t say.  It was also fairly easy, in a manner of speaking, to pick out the source of the explosion.  Naruto, of course.  It was always Naruto.  Though for the blast to escape from a room as thickly shielded as that… Naruto was lying very still.  His chakra was still there, but only barely.  And Neji couldn’t be sure, but it looked like something else in the room was stirring.

                No time, though.  No time, because there was something much closer at hand, much deadlier.  The blast had blown him far apart from his companions, and Bizarro seemed largely unchanged by the blast, Mega-Sakura was dangerously altered.  Something—it looked like some kind of safety valve—had broken on her pack, and her muscles were swollen more than ever.  A truly insane look was spread across her features.  With a roar that carried even to Neji’s distant position, she threw herself at Bizarro.

                A sudden sharp pain made itself felt in Neji’s palm, and he realized he had something clenched tightly in his fist.  Unrolling his fingers, he discovered a broken glass cylinder digging into his skin.  A small piece of glowing blue stone lay trapped within it.

                Neji picked the glass from his hand and studied the blue stone.  This… this must have been the power core that Tenten had shot at Bizarro.  It had almost worked… he could have sworn it had really hurt the man… but it had been too little, and off target.

                A sudden crash attracted his attention upwards.  The duo were fighting dangerously close to Shino now.  Mega-Sakura reeled from one of Bizarro’s punches, nearly stepped on Shino’s head, recovered herself, and strode forward, crushing one of his arms as she did.  Neji saw Shino jerk a little, but aside from that, he seemed to be mercifully unconscious.

                Tenten was stirring.  For the moment she was in no danger, but the way the two giants were duking it out, they could be back over by her in another two seconds.

                Biting his lip, Neji studied the distance.  He’d never done it in battle before, but he had the technical training.  And anyway, what other choice was there?

                Reaching back, he unslung the—mercifully unbroken—bow from his back.  Its sable finish gleamed almost blue in the light as he hefted it in his hand and tested the bowstring.  Good.  What did they make these things out of?

                Apparently, not the same things they made the arrows out of.  Neji searched for a moment before finding an unbroken one large enough for his purpose.  He glanced up again.  The fight was just to the left of Tenten now, safe and yet not comfortable so.  Mega-Sakura punched Bizarro, knocking him back to the Shino-in-danger zone.  For an instant she roared with laughter before Bizarro flew straight back at her and knocked her straight into the Tenten-danger zone.

                Neji quickly picked up the arrow.  With a piece of ninja wire, he wrapped the little blue stone around its tip, fixing it to the point.  Then, setting the arrow to the string, he sighted along the string and aimed.

                Green Arrow had taught him how to shoot the bow, but Neji still did not feel he had proper mastery of it.  It was one thing to see something far away, another to see something close up, it was something else entirely to draw an invisible line between the two.  Some Hyuuga were archers, Neji was not.  Thus, he hesitated as he tried to line the arrow with Bizarro’s lumbering form, remembering all too well Tenten’s fatal miss.

                They were practically on top of Tenten now.  Bizarro’s foot thudded just to the right of her leg.  Mega-Sakura leapt from the rock, bowling Bizarro over and gripping him in a vicious head-lock.  Bizarro simply shot up and smashed Mega-Sakura against the ceiling, knocking the breath out of her and forcing her to let go.  She tumbled to the ground, along with about five or six chunks of concrete.  Floating above, Bizarro laughed in derision and took a moment to gloat over her groaning form.

                _No_! thought Neji as he let go of the string.  _Toohightoohightoohiiiiigh…_

                The arrow arched through the air, curving gently at the top, and inserted itself into Bizarro’s eyesocket.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                A sudden glow pierced Lee’s eyelids and fought its way to his brain.  Slowly, he creaked his eyes open, unable to solidly discover where he was, what he was doing, or really anything besides the thing floating in the air before him.

                It was small.  It was glowing.

                It was GREEN.

                Lee reached forward, half-asleep, and touched it.

 

* * *

 

 

                Doomsday had actually fallen below the source of the blast when it went off, and had been partly shielded by Naruto’s body.  Looking down at the form of his orange foe lying crumpled on the ground, Doomsday felt neither anger nor satisfaction nor respect for the foe he’d fought for so long.  He felt merely a sudden boredom, brought on by the cessation of battle.  This man had been a force, and now he was not.  That was all Doomsday felt.

Still, there was something to be said for certainty.  The man was probably dead, but smashing his skull in would end the matter for certain.  Without deliberation or haste, Doomsday strode forward.

And suddenly, something was under him, punching, kicking, knocking him into the air in a never-ending series of blows.  The levels shot past him, filled with a green glow as a triumphant shout filled the air.

“PRIMARY LOTUS!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Lee couldn’t have said why he jumped down the gaping hole, only that he’d felt he’d had to.  He couldn’t have said how he knew how to use the ring, either, indeed he couldn’t have said that there was a way to USE the ring.  He had just touched it, and it had come to life for him.  He couldn’t have said what the power flowing through him now, propelling him, pushing him incessantly under Doomsday as they climbed higher and higher into the sky, what it even was.

                The power ring of the Green Lanterns was powered by will power.  It was limited only by fear.

                On the finger of Rock Lee, Daring Green Beast of Konoha, bursting with the Flames of the Passion of Youth, it was the single deadliest weapon in the universe.  For if Lee didn’t have the imagination to make weapons out of the ring, he had at least the imagination to make fists and armor for himself far larger than was necessary, and the aspiration to use it to propel himself far higher than he could have ever actually reached.

                Of course, this was all subconscious.  All Lee was aware was that he was kicking, kicking, kicking the monstrous beast higher and higher into the air, and that somehow he was not slowing down or losing momentum.  He didn’t understand it, but he saw no reason to stop.

 

                In truth, it was only when he began to find himself pushing through clouds that he started to think about stopping, and only when he realized that that thing in the corner of his eye was the curvature of the earth that he actually DID stop.  He stopped, wove green bandages around Doomsdays’ bruised form, and shouted:

                “SECONDARY LOTUS!”

                Everything considered, it was fortunate for the Earth that Lee—and Doomsday, landed somewhere in Death Valley.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke could feel the last traces of his chakra vanishing.  The genjutsus were draining a lot of energy, for whatever reason, and they no longer worked as well as they used to.  Superman was no longer playing around, he shot around the lab, far out of reach of Sasuke’s sword, more than close enough to aim bursts of frost breath at wherever Sasuke was.

                Sasuke wished he could use Tsukiyomi.  Or Susanoo.  But his missing eye made that impossible, just as his cybernetic eye made Ameteratsu practical.  If he were to use that jutsu once more, he would be dependent on Luthor’s invention again.  And Sasuke hated such dependence, partly because he hated Luthor.

                But he was out of options.  Making his decision, he drew up to a sudden stop and found himself nearly immediately encased in ice from the waist down.

                Superman floated into view.  “Well.  Was that a mistake or a surrender.”

                “Neither.”  And the Mangekyou Sharingan spun into life.

                Pain raced through Sasuke’s head and his vision blacked out, but that was nothing to what happened to Superman.  Black flames burst from his body, searing through his costume in less than a second and setting to work on his skin.  The Man of Steel doubled over and crumpled to the floor, writhing in pain.

                “Never dare to look an Uchiha in the eyes, dobe,” sneered Sasuke, trying not to show his relief.  With the last vestiges of his chakra, he began to summon up a fireball to melt the ice holding him.

                It happened so quickly that neither Sasuke’s cybernetic eye nor his inoperative Sharingan saw it coming.  Superman, still doubled over in pain, shot off the ground and flew straight into Sasuke, embracing him in a crushing, burning bearhug.  Almost by reflex, Sasuke’s eye switched back and re-routed his last chakra to extinguish  the flames.

                Completely drained of chakra, Sasuke collapsed onto the floor.  Superman, practically naked and burned all over, lay on the ground for a moment before picking himself up and reaching a hand to his ear.  “Superman to Terrific.”  He said.  “I’m headed back...”

                Superman stopped, expression frozen.  His eyes lolled back, the veins on his face grew taut and blue, and the skin shrunk away from his suddenly bony cheeks.  He collapsed onto the floor and lay still.

                Shaking, Karin lowered the gun in her hands and ran over to Sasuke.  “Are you alright?”

                Sasuke groaned as she hoisted him upwards.  “What…” his eyes drifted over the fallen Superman.  “What did you do to him?”

                “Oh.”  Karin proffered the gun in her hands.  “Kryptonite bullet.  Luthor gave me this before we left, said we’d probably need it if we ran into him here.”

                Sasuke’s eyes narrowed.  “You couldn’t have told me about that before?”

                “You told me to leave and stay out of the way!”

                Sasuke grunted noncommittedly and dropped the topic.  Almost lazily, he lifted Kusanagi and slashed through the tank in the center of the laboratory.  “Suigetsu, you’d BETTER be awake.”

                With astonishing haste, the water congealed and reformed to become Suigetsu.  “Jeez, boss, you just got your ass saved by Karin.”

                “Forget it.”  Sasuke’s glare implied the possible punishment.  “We’ve spent too long here already, we need to leave…”  His voice broke off suddenly.  “Do any of you feel that?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Miles under the earth, as the walls crumbled about him, a massive figure reached out and picked up a limp body by the hair.  “ **Your skill in battle is matched only by your folly in challenging me, mortal.”** He rumbled.  “ **Were it not for the extreme expediency of my cause, I would have you pay for your insolence through echoing years of torture.  Yet for this moment, I shall still exact some payment.”**

                With brutal efficiency, a hand reached out, digging into Kakashi’s eyesocket, popping the Sharingan loose.  The figure—whether truly Darkseid or Luthor could not be said—lifted up the eyeball and stared at it for a moment, then let out a roar of triumph.

                **“The Anti-Life Equation is complete!  Let my universe… exist!”**

                _Loneliness plus fear plus despair plus worth divided by self-mockery…_


	28. Coercion

 

**Loneliness plus fear plus despair plus self-worth divided by mockery divided by condemnation divided by misunderstanding times guilt times shame times failure times judgment, N equals Y where N equals Hope and Y equals Folly; Love equals Lies; Life equals Death; Self equals Luthor…**

The words echoed and reverberated from nation to nation, house to house, mind to mind.  They rippled through the air, through the very earth, forming and shaping the planet to their chord.  For a horrible instant, the world realized its impending enslavement, teetering over the abyss of dominion…

…and then, inevitably, it fell, and even the consciousness of slavery was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

 

**Loneliness…**

                Dark forms of villagers loomed all about Naruto, all standing apart, none facing him, none looking at him.  None even acknowledging him.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                **…plus fear…**

                Once again in the ravine beside his wounded dog, Kiba watched in agonized terror as the two-headed boy came forward.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**…plus despair…**

Lee heard the words but didn’t want to believe them.  “ _There is a high chance that the operation will leave you unable to ever be a shinobi.”_

 

* * *

 

 

 

**…plus self-worth divided by mockery…**

                Cold white eyes stared at her as she heard the secret fear of her heart.  “ _You cannot change yourself.  Once a failure, always a failure.  This will never change.”_

 

* * *

 

 

 

**….divided by condemnation divided by misunderstanding…**

The glares of all the villagers came at him from all sides.  “ _There he is… the demon…”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

**… times guilt times shame…**

" _I'm the one who made Naruto suffer the most... I've just been getting it wrong... just been messing it up...”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

**…times failure…**

                A hospital room formed around him, and he heard the words, “ _Sakura… I’m sorry, I failed… I couldn’t bring him back…”_

 

 

 

* * *

 

**…times judgment…**

Chouji huddled in the middle of the playground, surrounded by faceless children crying “ _Fatty!”_

* * *

 

                **…N equals Y where N equals Hope and Y equals Folly…**

                _“Sasuke killed our mentor, the great Killer Bee.”_ The news from the Kumo nins fell on her ears and she started to tremble.  Deep down she’d always known it was hopeless.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                **…love equals lies…**

                Sakura’s visage came into focus “ _Naruto… I said I love you!”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

                **…life equals death…**

                “There is no method but death to escape this curse.”  Neji heard the words as his own, feeling once again their inescapable truth.

 

 

* * *

 

**…self equals Luthor.**

…is just a name I’ve been given.  I’m nobody.  I don’t exist.  I’m a tool of Lord Luthor.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “You know, I’m still not sure how they got here.  Or rather, why,”  mused Luthor, staring through the glass at the sleeping prisoners below.  “Some gambit of the Spectre’s to prevent me from getting ahold of the Sharingan, I suppose.  Perhaps he thought they’d be invulnerable to my Equation, being from another world.”  He straightened with a short bark of laughter.  “Ha!  Apparently he forgot that the Sharingan is from the same world.  Foolish error.”

                “I… notice… you don’t… have them… serving you tea.”

                Luthor rolled his eyes at the man in the wheelchair behind him.  “Well, yes, they’re not subservient to my will.  So what?  Even with that blasted chakra of theirs interfering, the sheer effort of resisting me renders them catatonic.  I could kill them, all of them, right now, like that…” he snapped his fingers.  “…but I won’t.”

                “Wh-why?”

                “The odd thing about becoming a god,” mused Luthor, “is that it’s so boring.  I mean, apart from you and that Nara boy, there’s no one to talk to, no one to defeat… nothing to do at all.”  He shrugged.  “I suppose you could say I’m keeping them for a rainy day… once the euphoria of controlling the world wears off, perhaps I’ll release one and watch him struggle against me.”  Apparently considering the matter, he rubbed his chin and continued thoughtfully: “Or perhaps I’ll just restore the minds of one of your teammates.  Which one, do you think?  Wonder Woman?  J’onn?  Which would give me the greatest run for my money?”

                “Lu… thor, why do… you always make the same… mistakes?  You… release one…. overplay your hand… before… you know it… be back in your jail cell.”  The gaze of the wheelchair-bound man hardened.  “Where you belong.”

                “Clark, Clark….”  Luthor shook his head sadly at the man.  “May I call you Clark, by the way?  Odd, perhaps, after we’ve known each other for so long, but… well…”  A smirk played around the edges of his mouth. “…Superman hardly seems appropriate anymore.”

                From his motorized wheelchair, hampered by the countless life-support devices hooked into him, Clark Kent glared back at Luthor.  It was hard to recognize him as either the hero OR the intrepid reporter of a day ago.  The muscle had withered away from his once-impressive frame, leaving little except skin and bones, about which the remnants of his mighty costume flapped loosely.  His face, like much of his body, was drawn and pale, emaciated with his body’s constant struggle against the Kryptonite bullet lodged deep in his chest.  Only the power of Luthor kept the bullet from reaching his heart.

                “Clark, you really don’t understand it, do you?”  Luthor stepped away from the glass and began to pace down the hallway, Clark’s wheelchair rolling behind him.  “You lost.  It’s over.”

                “If I… had… nickel for every…. time I’ve heard that…”

                “Oh, I know.  It sounds trite.  But see, you’re counting on the last-minute charge of the Light Brigade, the come-from-the rear that no one suspects.  You’re counting on the theory that good guys always win.”

                A slight quiver from Clark’s shoulders expressed a shrug.  “We… always have.”

                “No.  See, this is a fundamental confusion on your part.  You don’t win because you’re good, you’re good because you win.  Winners write the history books.  Or in your case…”  Luthor spared Clark a smirking gaze.  “…the newspapers.  Really, Clark, I find after all this time that the League had infiltrated the media?  Shameless.”

                Clark gazed blearily up at Luthor.  “Lex… don’t… tell me that you… consider yourself a… ‘good’ person.”

                “No.”  A light chuckle escaped Luthor.  “And I don’t intend to convince anyone of it, either.  But then… I don’t have to, do I?  Everyone agrees with me already.”

                They’d stopped before a new balcony, this one overlooking a wide meeting room.  There, rank upon rank, stood the assembled heroes of the Justice League, milling about with apparent unconcern.  Question sat at a table with Green Arrow and the bandaged Mr. Terrific, apparently discussing wormholes.  Blue Devil polished off the last of his coffee and headed out the door.  Everything seemed perfectly normal.

                Apart, of course, from the fact that no one seemed to notice the greatest villain looking over them, nor that their leader sat immobile at his side.

                “Why… you use… this place as your… base, Lex?  Shouldn’t you… be on a giant… floating ‘L’ somewhere?”

                “Oh come now, Superman, there are limits to even my ego.   Besides, the Metrotower has always been a symbol of progress and global unity.  Why stop now?  I find it a very fitting backdrop to my triumph.”  Luthor’s glance lingered momentarily over the passing form of Wonder Woman.  “For the moment, I enjoy the irony of using my opponent’s base as my own.  The giant floating ‘L’ will probably come later, after I bore of this.”

                “If you… get long enough… to be bored of it.”

“Be honest, Superman.  Have you ever seen your friends so happy?  So serene?  Just think, it’s the same all around the world… people completely happy and completely satisfied with the world as it is.”  He smiled a long smile.  “It’s better than the real thing.”

                “Exactly.  The… real thing. Never seen… Batman… this happy, but… never… wanted to.”  A wheezing cough.  “Looks creepy.”

                “Mm.  Perhaps.”  Shrugging dismissively, Luthor moved away from the window, again pulling a reluctant Clark Kent in his wake.  “Look on the bright side, Clark.  There’s no more war, no more crime, no natural disasters—apart from those I find amusing—and no more prejudice.  Everyone is perfectly united in a single frame of mind, working together efficiently and smoothly toward the same goal.”  He sent a mocking glance over his shoulder.  “It’s what your League has been aiming at for years, isn’t it?”

                “No… not… not like… this.”

                “Oh, so you dislike my method!  Ah, I see.  Well, say instead of brainwashing everyone instantaneously, I brainwash them slowly, over a period of several years.  We can call it public education!”

                Clark closed his eyes.  “Luthor… “

                “Oh, there, there.”  Luthor beamed at the wheelchair-bound man.  “I know it’s not easy to come to terms with your own inadequacy, but you’ve got to face it sooner or later, CLARK.”

                “My NAME,” growled the other.  “is SUPERMAN.”

                Luthor snorted.  “You?  Hardly.”

                “Wh-wh-what?”  Clark blinked in skeptical confusion.

                “I always wondered about the irony of your persona,” continued Luthor, ignoring Superman’s query.  “Initially, I supposed you were merely some ignorant fundamentalist unfamiliar with Neitzche.  Now, I find you’re a college-educated journalist…!”  With a sad little shake of his head, Luthor gazed pityingly at his prisoner.  “…what were you thinking when you chose that name?”

                Still blinking, Clark considered the question.  “It… was a statement…” he decided finally.  “…that I… was merely a man… merely what any man… could be…  I felt… I should be… the best sign of what… humanity had… to offer.”  Another blink.  “And… Lois got carried… away in… publicity.”  He admitted.

                “The ‘best of what humanity had to offer.’”  Luthor sneered.  “So nearly correct, and yet so abysmally wrong.  The Superman IS supposed to be the ultimate goal of humanity, but you’re not that goal, not you with your prattling little conventions and quivering indecisions and blind little obediences. You’re nothing but a thug, following the laws of yesteryear, and one who’s lost his edge.”  Luthor snapped his fingers and Clark’s head exploded momentarily, only to recompose itself.  “You?  Superman?  You’re not even a man.”

                Clark, still wincing from the pain of having his brain blown apart, did not reply, but simply sat, head cradled in his hands.

                “Shall I tell you what a super-man is, Clark?  Shall I tell you what the ultimate form of man is?  Here’s a hint: it’s not some alien from a dead empire who manages to get bigger muscles than anyone else.  It’s not an immortal magic-forged princess who was raised in an isolated society.  It’s not even some brooding billionaire who forced himself to physical and mental perfection.”  Luthor paused momentarily.  “Though that is perhaps close.”  He admitted.  “No, the perfection of humanity is not found in super-strength or super-speed or even super-intellect.  It’s the WILL of humanity that makes humans what they are, Clark.  Their will to push back accepted boundaries and reach bold new horizons.”

                Turning as if bored, Luthor began to stride down the hallway, pulling Clark’s wheelchair in his wake..  “You and your so-called ‘Justice League.’” He chuckled.  “You claimed to be the pioneers of the human spirit.  In reality?  You were its greatest jailers.  Instead of pushing boundaries, you enforced them.  Instead of reaching to bold new horizons, you made sure all new discoveries conformed to old guidelines.  You didn’t even THINK to change any of it!”  Luthor gave out a laugh of scornful disbelief.  “You didn’t think at all!  You blindly listened to the cant of the masses—or worse, of the regressives—letting others do the thinking, the deciding, for you.  You simply _accepted_ the world and its rules.  Bah!”  Luthor waved his hand, and the entire left wall dissolved into a Grecian garden.  “Supermen?  Pioneers of the human will?  You were nothing but brutes and robots, following an outmoded script on an ostentatious scale.”

“The Superman, the Ubermensch, was—or rather IS—the purest distillation of the quintessentially human trait of challenging.  He is the human who accepts no boundaries, no borders, no constraints.  He rises above good and evil itself and turns the world into what he WILLS it to be.”  He didn’t even break stride as he paced straight through a concrete wall.  “Sound familiar?”

“You’re… not Superman.”

“No.  I’m LUTHOR.”  Stopping suddenly, the man smiled on his fuming enemy.  “And in this world, any Luthor is far more than any superman, Neiztchean or otherwise.  After all, Luthor is the man, the MERE man who subdued the mightiest creature in the universe, is he not?”  He shook his head, wonderingly.  “All these years, Clark.  You were my greatest enemy, my ultimate challenge, the ungodly immovable object to counter my unstoppable force.  No one could ever beat you, it was impossible.”  His eyebrows inched upwards.  “So naturally, I had to.  The only reason you’re still conscious, Clark, is so you can be a reminder of that struggle and its inevitable conclusion.”

Apparently recollecting something, he glanced at his watch.  “Oh my.  Is it that time already?  I believe I’ll take some tea.”

He clapped his hands and a door materialized out of the wall to admit a slim woman in a professional suit.  “Tea, Lord Luthor.”

Clark’s head whirled around at the voice and he groaned.  “No…  not again.”

“Thank you, Lois my dear.”  Luthor smiled at the reporter as she trotted up, a golden tea set in her hands.

“You are welcome, my lord,” responded Lois crisply, smiling shyly as she poured tea into the cup and mixed in a bit of sugar.

“You… bastaaaaard…” managed Clark.  His pale veined hands clutched at the handles of his wheelchair, his face was practically purple with rage, his whole body trembled with the struggle to rise from his chair, but an unseen power kept him from moving in the slightest.  “You… bastard.  Enough… already… leave her…”

“My Lord, must you have this ugly old attendant everywhere you go?”  Lois wrinkled her nose.  “It seems unfitting to your dignity.”

“Even an emperor must have a fool.  Permit me mine, my dear.  In fact, why don’t you offer him a cup of tea?”

“If I must.”  Lois poured out another cup and held it out. 

Clark’s hand struggled fruitlessly on the arm of his chair.

“Oh dear, it seems he is too weak to take it.  If you would, my dear, pour it down his throat.”

“As you wish, my Lord.”  Elegant fingers prised open Clark’s jaw, tilted his head back, and poured a whole cup of scalding tea down his throat. 

“AAAGGGH!”

Lois stepped back and watched the invalid shake with pain.  “He does not seem to appreciate it.”

“Ah well.  Ingratitude is the cross of all rulers.  Thank you for the tea service, Lois, it was enjoyable as always.”  Luthor stopped, apparently in thought.  “Now let me see… I think there was something more… something I forgot.”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Lu-luthor…” gasped Clark.  “Not… again… oh god not again…”

“Ah, that’s right.”  And cleanly, without the slightest hesitation or hint of remorse, Luthor pulled a pistol from his suitcoat and shot Lois between the eyes.

“NOOOO!”  Clark roared, straining against his own weakness, writhing in his chair.  “LOIS!”  He cried as Lois’ body, the eyes oddly vacant, slumped to the ground.  “Not again, oh god not again… you bastard.”

“There’s something honest about the pistol, you know.”  Luthor mused, nudging the body at his feet with his shoe.  “Clean and efficient, yet… personal, somehow.  Brings it much more down to home, makes it seem more realistic.  There’s not many ways to pretty up a pistol shot.  A knife has romantic undertones and an electric chair has clinical ones… but a pistol…”  He examined the gun.  “…is just a pistol.”

Absentmindedly, he emptied the clip into Lois’ body, apparently oblivious to Clark’s screams of rage.   Then he tossed the pistol away.  “Hm.  Well, most amusing, but it gets old.”  He quirked a finger.  “Get up, slave.”

Lois’ body floated upright, the blood flowed back into her head, the gaping hole closed up without a mark to show.  For a few seconds, her face registered pure horror.  “Oh… that hurt like… Oh my word, I’m back, I’m… where am I…”  Her eyes seized on Luthor and widened.  “No, no more, please, just let me go this time, just stop it and I’ll…” 

Smiling, Luthor snapped his fingers and the attentive look reasserted itself on her face.  “Is there anything else, my lord?”

“No, nothing for now, Lois.  Thank you, you’ve been most entertaining.”  He waved her away and watched as she tripped toward the door that materialized from the wall.  “I’m not sure what you see in her.”  He confided to Clark.  “I’ve seen far more impressive as far as looks go, and she really doesn’t seem like your type.  Still…”  He smiled at Clark.  “There is a sort of eccentric charm to her personality, don’t you think?”

“You… bastard…” Tears were leaking their way out of Clark’s reddened eyes, flowing down dry wrinkled skin.

“Oh, come now, Clark.”  Luthor laughed, turning from the invalid and making for the wall.  “It was a quick one this time, wasn’t it?  Not like that electrolysis one I tried before.  If I were in your position, I’d be glad I haven’t made her do anything more offensive yet.  Although, when I do, I’ll make sure you’re the first to know.”

“You… maniac.”  Clark choked out.  “You’re… insane.”

Luthor considered this.  “Perhaps.”  He nodded.  “Perhaps, and then the whole world is mad with me.  And then, perhaps, you are the only sane man in the world.  But,” said Luthor as a new door materialized in front of him, “by the time I’m done with you, that won’t be a problem.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Have to say, I’m a little puzzled why you haven’t brainwashed me yet,” commented Shikamaru, musing over his pieces.  “Unless you have, of course, and I just don’t know it.”

                Luthor smiled at the teen across the table.  “My boy, why would I tamper with a mind as challenging as yours?  I’d have no one to play chess with.  That Kryptonian is no good at all.”

                “So glad you find me an interesting spectacle.”  Shikamaru yawned as he moved his queen across the board.  “I’m guessing that as long as I keep beating you, I’m going to stay interesting.”

                “Roughly that, Mr. Nara, but I must confess that even your losses are interesting to study.  I foresee a long life of chess-playing ahead of you.”

                Shikamaru’s eyes took on a dreamy tone.  “Doesn’t sound so bad…”

                Luthor’s fingers tapped against the chessboard, and instantly the pieces shifted, rearranging themselves into an utterly new formation.

                “…although that little game of yours is getting troublesome.”  Shikamaru groaned, studying the new layout.  “So my queen’s back here now, hm?”

                “Oh come, Mr. Nara, has it ever really set you back?  You show a wonderful talent for improvisation, it does my jaded divine heart good to see it in action.”

                Shikamaru shrugged as he moved a knight.  “Oh well, so long as you get your laughs in.  I don’t suppose there’s any other way you’re going to win.”

                “Still trying to enrage me, boy?  It won’t work.  I don’t need to prove my divinity to anyone now.  I have it. I’m not only omniscient and omnipotent, I’m immortal.”

                “I’ve defeated immortals before.”  Shikamaru murmured absently, examining Luthor’s latest move.

                Luthor glanced up sharply.  “Oh?  Who was that?”

                “Some religious nut.  Called himself Hidan.  Worshipped some Jaishin character, who gave him his immortality.  He killed my teacher and I…”  He shrugged.

                “You killed him?”

                Shikamaru glanced up momentarily.  “You DID hear me say he was immortal, right?”  Looking back to the board, he moved a knight laterally and captured Luthor’s bishop.  “No.  I blew him to bits and buried the head in a private plot.”

                “Hm.”  Luthor nodded in approval at the board.  “I take it, then, that you don’t believe in this Jaishin character.”

                Shikamaru shrugged and flexed his feet.  In celebration of his divinity, Luthor had obliterated all restraints, and Shikamaru sat freely on the other side of a completely open table.  “Only thing I believe in is the Will of Fire.”

                “Interesting.”  Luthor moved his other bishop and captured Shikamaru’s queen.  “But Mr. Nara, so long as you’re here, there’s something you should understand.”  Looking up, his flint-hard gaze caught Shikamaru’s lazy glance.  “Here, there is no Will of Fire, no Lord Jaishin, nothing.  Here, I’M the only god that matters.”

                “Whatever,” shrugged Shikamaru, and moved his knight across the board.

                Luthor glanced down sharply and smiled.  “Clever.  Very clever, Mr. Nara.  You astound me.  There are so many layers to your strategy.”

                “Not layers so much as backups.  Unlike you, my backup plans HAVE backups.”

                “Ah?  So what plan is this?”  Luthor sat back from the board, grinning.  “I believe I’ve deciphered your strategy, but are you on P or Q at this point?”

                “B, actually.  At this point I’m just trying to see how many times I can force you to rearrange the pieces.”  A smirk twisted the end of Shikamaru’s mouth.

                Apparently struck by something in Nara’s tone, Luthor studied his face, then the board, before giving a long, slow smile.  “One of your psychological tricks, Mr. Nara.  But nonetheless…”  his hand reached out and moved a pawn, “…you intrigue me.”

                “Oh yay.”  Shikamaru tapped over a bishop and moved his remaining rook into its place.

                “Tell me,” said Luthor, casually shifting a seemingly unimportant pawn, “that chess game we played before your friend’s attack… what stage of your plan was that?”

                Shikamaru moved over one of his knights before answering.   Apparently thinking deeply, he folded his hands together in a single fist and rested his head on it.  “B, actually.  Plan A was pretty much what I told you… antagonize you with insults until you did something stupid and overt.    Sasuke’s arrival hastened things, I knew he’d go for the obvious strike.”

                “And you set his mind against me to prevent an alliance.”  Luthor nodded.

                “Oh no.  That happened almost automatically.  Sasuke suspects EVERYONE.  I just gave him ammunition.”

                “Nevertheless.”

                Shikamaru shrugged without moving his hands.  “I certainly didn’t encourage the alliance.  Anyway, plan A involved getting you to expose yourself so my friends could kill you.  Sasuke, though, meant you weren’t going to be in a position to get killed.”  A frown creased his forehead.  “That was unfortunate.  There was another option, though.  Such an obvious move would prompt a rescue mission.  If you’d suspected it, you would have teleported us away before it could work.  So I won a chess game to distract you.”

                “You honestly thought that would be sufficient?”

                “It was, apart from Kakashi’s arrival.”

                Luthor grunted in amused agreement.  “But then, I did not need to.  The rescue attempt failed, even without my interference.  Your friend Chouji did not reach you in time.”

                “He got damn close.”  A small fire seemed to awaken in Shikamaru’s eyes.  “He was practically undoing my restraints when you said your bit with the Anti-Life whatsit.”

                “Nonetheless, the point is that he failed.  And still would have failed, had I been here instead of attending to your Kakashi.  Indeed, it would have made no difference if he had managed to free you before I said the equation.”

                “Don’t be too sure.”

                “You seem very attached to your friend Chouji.  I may have to bring him in to motivate you for some of our chess games.”  Luthor chuckled at the look on Shikamaru’s face.  “Oh, come now.  Let us hope that day is a long ways off.”  His hand reached out for the chess piece, then slowly withdrew.

                “Oh yeah.  Checkmate.  Sorry, should have mentioned that earlier.”

                For a moment something flared in Luthor’s eyes, but the next moment it was gone.  “Mr. Nara, Mr. Nara,” he laughed, standing up.  “Once again you astound me.  A pity that your skill in chess is not equal to your skill in life.”

                “About that…”  Shikamaru muttered, hands still clenched in a single fist.  “…I never did tell you what my power was, did I?”

                Luthor lifted an eyebrow, laughed, turned to leave…

                …and found he couldn’t.

                “Kage Mane no jutsu…” murmured Shikamaru in a dead voice.  “Successful…”

                The next second the ground erupted under Shikamaru, knocking him back to the wall.  Luthor was on him in seconds, clutching Shikamaru’s throat, lifting him into the air.  “Did you honestly think that would work?”  He sneered.

                “It did.”  A kunai appeared in Shikamaru’s hand, stabbing down, burying itself into Luthor’s chest.

                Luthor didn’t even flinch as his chest swallowed the kunai and spat it out the other side.  “Again, did you honestly think that would work?  I’m rather disappointed in you, Mr. Nara.  After all this time, I thought you might come up with something a little more subtle.  Incidentally, where did you get the kunai?”

                “Chouji had one on him.  I can use my shadow to pick up and move stuff too, and other shadows amplify it.  He wasn’t too far away,” said Shikamaru in an oddly calm voice.  “Thought it might come in handy.”

                “Not handy enough, I fear.  You seem to have wasted it.”

                Shikamaru shrugged, a difficult act while someone is clutching your throat.  “Oh well.”  He mused casually.  “There’s always the backup plan.”

                Suddenly the ground shook slightly, and the sound of a distant explosion came to their ears.

                “You really shouldn’t have shown me where the prisoners were being kept.  You’d be surprised how many shadows there are in this base.”

 


	29. Evasion

 

…

Wait.  Where was she?

It was hard to remember.  There was… something wrong.  Something about the silence.  It was… there had been words, hadn’t there?  Words and words and words and… she hadn’t even noticed them until they were gone.  What had the words been saying?  They’d seemed right, so right, and yet now that she couldn’t hear them, she felt suddenly certain they’d been wrong.

What was going on here?

Something shifted in the obscurity, and an enormous presence loomed into existence.

“Hyuuga Hinata.  The time has come.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Sasuke growled and sat up.  “I demand an explanation.”

                “You and me both,” returned the odd man in the red suit.  “But demanding isn’t going to get either of us anywhere.  You’re that Sasuke guy, aren’t you?”

                “Indeed.”  Sasuke clambered to his feet, glancing warily around the close, narrow room.  “And you are?”

                “Dude, you don’t know who I am?  That’s sad, man, just sad.  EVERYBODY knows me.”

                “I don’t.  Your name?”

                The man sighed in defeat.  “Flash.  The Incredible Flash.  The AMAZING Flash.  The STUPENDOUS Flash.  I’m one of the seven founding members of the Justice League, pal!  You’ve seriously never heard of me?”

                Sasuke thought about it for a moment.  “I may have heard about you in the pre-mission briefings.”  He conceded.  “Generally I do not concern myself with lesser warriors.”

                “Yeah?  Well this ‘lesser warrior’ just saved your butt, pal!  And with my leg half busted, I’ll have you know!  Those Juugo clones of yours did a number on me, but man I heal fast.  Do everything fast.”  Despite his apparent bravado, Flash was studying his leg with a muted concern.  “Still looks okay.  Hurts, though.”

                “How exactly did you save me?” grunted Sasuke, bending to pick up his sword from the floor.  “The last thing I remember, I had just defeated Superman.”  Technically that had been Karin, but Sasuke saw no need to stress the point.

                “Yeah, don’t remind me.”  Flash sent a glare at him.  “With Supes, we might have had a chance, but thanks to you…”  he shook his head in disgust.  “Something funny’s going on.  Best guess I have is that Luthor finally got that Anti-Life thingummy working… everyone in the MetroTower is acting screwy and most of the continents got shifted into shapes spelling the word ‘Luthor.’”  He shrugged at Sasuke’s disbelieving glance.  “Trust me, I checked.  Want me to run out and check again?”

                Sasuke grunted in resignation and tucked his sword into his belt.  “So.  You ‘rescued’ me from Luthor’s equation?”

                “More like from that explosive thing in your head.  I was doing a quick run-through of the Metrotower rooms, and you were the only guy not catatonic or Luthor-approved.  But your eye looked like it was about to explode, so I dismantled it.”

                Sasuke felt his head.  The cybernetic eye was still there, but a sizeable chunk of it was missing.  “You possess the knowledge to do that?”

                The man shrugged, with just a hint of swagger to his motions.  “You’re talking to the guy who dismantled a nano-tech Brainiac.  You pick up some stuff in that time.”

                “Ah.”  Sasuke had NO idea who Brainiac was, or what ‘nano-tech’ might imply, but he decided not to show it.  Instead he let out a long sigh and glared up at the ceiling.  “So.  Most of the world has been overcome by Luthor’s genjutsu.  My teammates are once again scattered and, I presume, lost to me.”

                “Oh nah.”  Flash moved aside to show some forms slumped against the wall.  “They were right by you.  I just picked them up and carried them over.”  Frowning, he added.  “Not much help, though.  They’re dead out, just like the other ninjas.”

                “Indeed?”  Sasuke strode over and knelt next to Karin’s recumbent form.  “Let us see if we can rectify that…”  For a moment he seemed to concentrate deeply, then stood with a shrug.  “Curious.  The genjutsu’s hold on her is very strong.”

                “Genjutsu.  Riiiiiiiight.”  The man rubbed the back of his neck and glanced toward the door.  “Listen, we can’t stay here for long.  Luthor seems to have this weird ‘all-present knowingness’ thing going on, and it’s only a matter of time before he realizes there’s something messed up about this basement we’re in.  I just hope that…”

                A sudden blur, a rush of wind, the sound of the door as it finally slammed, and there was a shrimpy teenager standing before them, arm raised in an awkward salute.  “Kid Flash reporting for duty, Boss Man!”

                “Ah?”

                “Oh, sorry.  Kid Flash reporting for duty, Ultra-high Awesomest Superhero of all time!”

                “Better.  Whatcha got, kiddo?”

                The yellow-clad teen shrugged.  “Not much.  Everyone outside is still acting freaky.  They’re all in factories, making stuff.”

                “Wonder why.  Seems like Luthor could just think giant mechs into existence.”

                “Maybe he just likes to see workers in factories, I dunno.  I looked, but I didn’t see any of temples or anything.”

                “Weird.  Definitely not how I would handle godhood.”

                “Yeah, me neither.  Anyway, did a run-through of the Metro-Tower…”

                “WHAT!”  There was a red blur as Flash shot forward, a yellow blur as Kid Flash shot away, then a complicated whirlwind of color as the two chased each other all over the room.  It finally ended with Flash, sitting on the filing cabinet, holding up Kid Flash by the ear.  “I thought I told you to stay away from that place!”

                “Well… yes, yes, you did,” agreed Kid Flash desperately.  “But Luthor’s everywhere, right?  It’s not like he’s going to be any more dangerous there than any other place!”

                “All the superheroes are there!  All the brainwashed superheroes, anyway.”

                “Superman’s there.”

                Flash was so startled, he dropped Kid Flash.  “What?”

                “I saw him, I swear.”  Kid Flash picked himself up off the ground.  “He’s not brainwashed, and he’s alive.”  A frown creased his face.  “Well, sorta.”

                “Sorta?  Sorta in what way?”

                “Sorta in the half-dying-gasping-for-air-unable-to-move sort of way.”

                “Oh.”

                Sasuke simply watched the two go back and forth, blanking out the portions he didn’t understand and storing away what he did.  The world was under Luthor’s control.  Luthor was in the MetroTower.  So were all the superheroes.  And Superman.

                “There’s more.”  Kid Flash interjected.  “While I was there, they brought in a prisoner.”

                “Prisoners?  We still got prisoners?”

                “They have a whole BUNCH of them in there.  All the ninjas.  I guess they’re not brainwashed, just unconscious.  But the one they brought in…”  Kid Flash swallowed and looked down.  “…It was Raven.  Y’know, from the Teen Titans?”

                “Really?  That’s weird.  And she wasn’t brainwashed, hmm?”  Flash seemed to be thinking.  “Nifty.”

                “Hey, Boss Man…” Kid Flash’s voice sounded a little tight.  “…do you think… Jinx maybe…”

                “I dunno, kiddo, I dunno.  If she wasn’t there, probably not.  But if she is, she’s probably better off without us finding her.”  Flash walked over to Team Taka and picked up Juugo’s limp form, wincing as he did so.  “Cause we’re about to get really crazy.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Where… where am I?”  asked Hinata frantically, glancing about her in the darkness.

                “Your mind, naturally.  Or rather, a secluded corner of your mind that I have managed to hide from Luthor’s probing gaze.”  It was impossible to tell whether the Spectre’s voice was booming or calm, ominous or reassuring.  His presence felt both incredibly terrible and unbelievably gentle, soft and yet hard, calm and yet fierce.  When she looked at his form—if what she was doing could truly be called looking—she could not say whether he was enormous or whether she was tiny.  Or, for that matter, if the distinction made much difference.

                “Luthor?  What does he… what’s going on?”  Hinata felt her head, half-expecting to feel a bump or cut of some kind.  “The last thing I remember, Green Lantern had just arrived and Naruto was…”

                Spectre cut her off.  “A great deal has happened since then.  Your companions battled with the champions of Luthor, and though they won their battles, they lost the war.  Something… completely unforeseen has occurred, something I had not expected.”

                “What?”

                “Your Hokage, Hatake Kakashi has arrived here.  It could not possibly have been timed worse, I was distracted and could not intervene as I did with you.  The Sharingan is now in Luthor’s hands.”

                Hinata’s hands flew to her mouth.  “Y-you mean h-he…  He couldn’t have… oh poor Kakashi-sama…”

                “More importantly, Luthor has now assembled his dominance strategy. The earth, sea, and air respond to his will, and the minds of nearly all beings are tied in submission to his.  It is only a matter of time before his ambitions spread to the universe.” 

                Strangely, all Hinata could think about was Kakashi-sama’s missing eye.  How horrible, to have your eye ripped out like that… had he been conscious?  She hoped not.  It seemed unreal, that the Hokage’s mismatched digit, which had always been such an integral part of him, should suddenly be gone.  Was there any kind of jutsu or medical procedure that could…

                With an effort she tore herself back to the Spectre’s other words.  “D-dominance strategy?”  World domination, mind control… they didn’t mean anything to her, they were just words, words that seemed far away and unrelated to this swimming darkness, but she asked anyway.

                The Spectre seemed to sigh.  “The Anti-Life Equation.  The Moon’s Eye Plan.”

                “Oh.”  That made a bit more of a connection but it was still something abstract, something academic.  She tried to care.  “The, um, the, um… they said in Konoha that the Moon’s Eye Plan was a special genjutsu, but… but the League people… they said it was more like a…”  Hinata fumbled, there really wasn’t a term to encompass what the League had described.  “…a god-like… world control jutsu… or something.  Like in the real world.”  She looked up at Spectre.  “But you say this is both, so… what is it?”

                The question seemed to give the Spectre some trouble.  “It is difficult to explain, but I will try.  It is a real world, but only the illusion of a real world.”  Seeing Hinata’s expression, he sighed.  “For one with the power that Luthor now possesses, or with the power that I have possessed for eons, the reality you inhabit is very much like an illusion.  It is fluid, shifting, one of countless reflections of a deeper and truer reality.”  The Spectre spread his hands.  “In a sense, your friend Sai was correct… this world is a genjutsu, as is Konoha.  Both are merely illusions of a primary reality.  You, in fact, are merely a reflection of a deeper, greater Hinata found elsewhere in the cosmos.  The Superman of this world is real, yet he is merely an imitation of a greater Superman who is more real yet.”  He eyed her doubtfully.  “Do you understand?”

                “I… think so.”  Mostly she didn’t and just wanted him to stop, but some small, instinctive part of herself grasped at the meaning of his words and understood them.

                “Mmm.”  Spectre did not seem satisfied, but he continued nonetheless.  “What you MUST understand is that Luthor does not possess the true Equation.”

                Hinata blinked.  “B-but you j-just said…”

                “I said he had assembled his dominance strategy, which he terms the Anti-Life Equation.  But it is false.  A mathematical proof that the universe belongs to Luthor.  Fah!”  Hinata would not have guessed that an angel could show such disgust.  “If the universe did belong to him, why would he need an equation to prove it?  More, if the equation can be used to seize control of others, how would anyone be able to know it without being seized themselves?  No, what Luthor possesses, even with the Sharingan, is a pale, twisted copy that fools the listener into believing HE controls the universe.”

                “So it IS a genjutsu,” said Hinata, who was still on the last point.

                “Many years ago, the observer Metron took Luthor to the Source Wall to find the Anti-Life Equation.  Metron understood neither the Source Wall nor the Equation, he knew only that they were related and that the only chance of stopping Darkseid lay in them.  Metron lacks the courage to act, he merely observes.  But Luthor leapt into the Source Wall in search of the Anti-Life Equation.”

                The Spectre closed his eyes in deep thought.  “What he saw there is impossible to describe.  The truth of the universe, perhaps, is the best term.  The most understandable term?  He saw the true Anti-Life Equation, which is neither an equation nor Anti-Life, but indeed the very essence thereof.”

                Hinata blinked again.  “Um-m… I’m sorry… what happened?”

                A sigh.  “To know the Equation, the secret of the universe, is to be acquainted with your position and importance in it.  You see perfectly how you fit within the great song, how all things have happened and will happen.  You see, Hinata, the connections between all the dots and the overall picture that they form.  THIS is what Luthor saw, what Darkseid saw, what amazed them both with its beauty and glory.”

                “But to know the Equation is also to surrender yourself to it, or so Luthor thought.  Both he and Darkseid strove to master the Equation, only to find the feat impossible.  What emerged from that struggle was neither Luthor nor Darkseid, but the most defiant and ambitious parts of both, merged into a single being.”  Spectre shrugged suddenly.  “More Luthor than Darkseid… the ruler of Apokolips has always felt assured in his mere existence, while Luthor has constantly fed on nothing but ambition.”  Shaking off the comparison, he continued.  “But in tearing themselves free, they lost much of the Equation, and have spent the intervening years building up a twisted copy that allows them dominion over the earth.”

                “O-ok-kay…”  Hinata glanced away.  “Um…. What do you want me to do about it?”

                “We have a breathing spell.”  Spectre answered.  “Luthor’s power is not adapted to your world, and he cannot control you and your friends.  My power renders you absolutely invulnerable, though I have hidden this from Luthor’s inspection.  Yet you are still only one agent.”

                The Spectre’s enormous visage loomed closer.  “Your gift to the girl Ino gave you a connection to her.  Reach out with your mind and find her, I shall give you all the power you need.  It is vital that I speak with the sealed ones.”

                “The… sealed ones?”  Hinata asked, brow already furrowed in concentration.

                “The demons.  I must speak with the Kyuubi no Yoko and Trigun the Destroyer.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “…honest, Superman.  Have you ever seen your friends so happy?”

                J’onn blinked his eyes, tried to focus.

                “So serene?”

                Something was wrong, J’onn knew that immediately.  Where had the words gone?  Momentarily, he blundered about in the sudden freedom, but quickly recovered himself and began to carry on as before.  He felt a sudden relief, as if a great weight had been lifted.

                No.  No, something was NOT wrong, rather perhaps something had finally gone right.  There had been something dangerous about the words, something deadly that he’d been fighting.  He remembered that now.  The words had been tearing at his soul, he’d felt the pain of their perversion as cleanly as if hooks had dug into his body and twisted him into a whole new shape.  They’d been so utterly, oppressively, irresistably false.  His Martian soul knew that now.

                And now his mind was catching up.  Brainwashing.  Anti-Life Equation.  Luthor.  That was Luthor on the balcony above.  Beside him was… Clark?  Was that Clark? 

J’onn just barely kept himself from stumbling and realized immediately the danger.  His comrade’s minds were closed to him, he could feel that much already.  They must all be under Luthor’s control.  Superman probably wasn’t—J’onn felt rather than saw him leave with Luthor—but if he tried to contact HIM, Luthor would inevitably sense it and all his former friends would be on him.  In fact, the only reason they hadn’t hit him YET was because they somehow hadn’t caught on that he’d broken free.

And yet, how could they NOT know?  Luthor ought to have sensed the minute the Anti-Life Equation was expelled from J’onn’s mind.  Come to think of it, he ought to have seen that J’onn wasn’t following the exact steps he wanted him to.

_Except I was…_

J’onn’s eyes almost widened in realization.  He could still hear the equation, still hear the ritualistic _Loneliness plus fear plus…_ but it no longer had control over him.  He now knew the place Luthor wished him to occupy, and subconsciously, he did so.

_But at any moment I might stop…_

How was this even possible?  More to the point, how had he broken free in the first place?  There’d just been the words, always the words, the words that even now itched at his brain, and then… then there’d…

There’d been another voice.  It was only there a moment, but it’d sounded something like “ _Ino?”_

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “No… that’s not her…  Wait.  Yes.  I can feel her.  Yes, she’s there.”  Hinata’s brow creased in concentration.  “But… I can’t wake her up.”

                “That is because I do not wish you to.  It would expose us.  No, I merely wished you to form the connection so that we might call on her abilities.”

                “You’re possessing her?”  Hinata yelped.

                “Nothing so crude.  I am merely using accessing the links she has already formed.  There are a great many, she touched many minds during her dementia.  Ah… there they are.”  The Spectre waved a vast hand.  “Come, Trigon.  Come, Kyuubi no Yoko.  It is I, Uriel of the Rod and the Chalice, who summon you.”

                Hinata stumbled backwards with a startled cry as two great cats-eyes flamed suddenly into life.  An immense, orange-gold form stalked into the light, twitching all nine of its great tails.  Its malice pierced Hinata through in a thousand knifing blades of flickering hate.  Even Naruto’s manifestation had not prepared her for such a sensation.  “Uriel.”  It snarled.  “What do you want?”

                “Why do you summon me?”  The sense of malice grew even stronger now, the very air seemed crushed out of Hinata’s lungs by an overpowering weight.  The voice was old as worlds and solemn as death, and its sound made the flesh on Hinata’s skin grow cold and dead as another figure loomed into the light.  He was even greater than Kyuubi, far greater than Hinata should have been able to see from her tiny position on the ground, and yet she clearly beheld all of him—a vast crimson figure like a man, crowned with ash-white hair and stag-like horns above four glowing yellow eyes.  “Why do you risk the wrath of Trigon?”

                “I risk summoning Trigun for the same reason that Trigon answers,” snorted the Spectre, and instantly Hinata felt the weight lift.    “Because no other choice is left.  It gives me no pleasure to consort with demons, yet it seems that so God has willed.”

                “And as God has willed it, you will do, even if he wills you to corrupt yourself in the deepest dregs of a shithole, eh, Uriel?” snorted Trigon.  “Have you no pride?”

                Spectre did not even blink.  “No.  Pride is a sin.  Therefore I have none.”

                “Hah!”  Trigon spat and jerked a massive thumb at Kyuubi.  “Must I be suffered to speak in the hearing of this whelp?”

                “Shut your stupid mouth, Trigon,” snarled back the Kyuubi.  “Or maybe I should have your daughter shut it for you.  At least some of us can bear this silently.”

                “Not so silently, Divided One.  Where are your brethren?  Are you the only one foolish enough to venture to a world marked for me?  Or have they also fallen to children?”

                Kyuubi hissed.  “As if you’re one to speak of being defeated by brats, Corpse-Sucker.”

                “Enough.”  Spectre did not raise his voice, yet the single calm word silenced the roaring of the two demons.  “You two have both been summoned.  You cannot leave until I wish it, and I do not yet wish it, hence you shall both suffer the other’s company, whether you will it or no.”

                Trigon growled.  “Others show more respect, Spectre.”

                “But I do not.  I show respect only to those worthy, and you, fallen ones, are not worthy of anything, least of all respect.  I would smite you both to hell, were you not there already.”

                At this both demons broke into a laugh, Trigon’s a deep, throaty booming, Kyuubi’s a snarling chuckle.  “True, true,” snickered Kyuubi.  “We are both in hell, both bound to pitiful brats who refuse our power.  What’re you going to do about it, Watchdog?  What have you to threaten us with?  Will you banish us from our flesh-bags?”

                “Both your hosts have been rendered immobile by the mortal Luthor.  You know this.  And you also know that it will take all my strength merely to hold him at bay, therefore I can hardly do that and banish you.”  Spectre’s gaze did not flicker.  “Indeed, it is because of this moment that I have not banished you already.  Play no games, sealed ones.  You know what I seek.”

                Kyuubi’s teeth widened in a malicious grin.  “True.  But why should we give it to you?”

                “So a human has twisted the Eternal Mandate to his own ends.  What of that?”  Trigon shrugged his massive shoulders.  “This world shall be mine, soon or late, the hour makes little difference.  Luthor’s power stretches neither to me nor to my host.  I am not one to be bound by hedgepenny sorcery such as this.  At present, it amuses me to see discord in the Great Song.”

                Kyuubi wagged its furry head up and down.  “Exactly.  You know us, Uriel, discord is the only kind of fun we ever get, being in Hell and all.”

                “Small comfort,” snorted the Spectre.  “As you should know, there is never any true discord in the Great Song, only dissonance that adds to make the melody sweeter still.  Yours is an occupation foredoomed to failure.”

                Hinata turned aside her head.  It was too much, too much!  In her mind, she heard not merely their words but also their intent, far greater and more subtle than words could convey.  Her mind was not made for such things… SHE was not made for such things.  This conversation was utterly beyond her. 

                The darkness seemed to flicker slightly, and the demons glanced around in confusion.  “The conduit is disturbed,” mused Trigon.   “How…?”

                “Oh HO!”  Kyuubi had finally caught sight of Hinata.  “Well THIS is amusing!  So you too, Uriel, are bound to a brat?  Ha!  Truly angels have no pride.”  He bent low, his enormous muzzle sniffing Hinata up and down.  “I know this one, I nearly killed her once or twice.”  He reared back and grinned at Spectre.  “What might you be doing with her?”

                “What game do you play at, Rod-Keeper?” demanded Trigon, now studying Hinata also.  “What means this?”

                “A ruse,” answered Spectre, somewhat stiffly.  His eyes were now bent on Hinata also.  “A trick to hide amidst Luthor’s prisoners and keep him blind to my presence.  She is no host, she is merely an channeler.”

                “Ah.  And the channel is disturbed because she comprehends nothing of our speech.”

                “A ruse?  From you?”  Kyuubi laughed and laughed.  “Oh, Uriel, this IS pleasing.  I should not have expected you capable of such games.  And yet you did not tell the brat what she was getting into, did you?”  Leaning forward again, he brought his enormous toothy face within inches of Hinata.  “Well.  Shall I tell you, kit, what is going on?  Shall I tell you why the all-powerful Spectre is forced to beg for help from demons?”  Without waiting for an answer he continued.  “Because he cannot defeat Luthor little one.  He is an angel and so he cannot defeat Luthor.  Only a demon dares to break the Eternal Mandate.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “See, Luthor can’t sense the kiddo and me,” explained Flash at a restroom in what had been Paris.  Sasuke, using a nearby toilet to throw up, paid him only the barest attention.  “Cause we’re awesome and tied into the Speed Force and yadda yadda.”

                “But if anyone alive sees us, he knows it instantly.”  Kid Flash added as they entered a deserted store in Texas.  Seeing a nearby sink, Sasuke rushed for it and had just enough time to get in two or three good hurls before a red arm grabbed him around the waist and they were off again.

                They barreled into a handy skyscraper in Hong Kong.  “So we need to keep moving, you see, to stay one step ahead.”  The words just barely registered with Sasuke as he scrambled for the window, leaned over, and unleashed the contents of his stomach.  The people on the street below looked up.

                “See, THAT’S why we don’t do that,” complained Flash thirty seconds later, as they collapsed, exhausted and slightly injured, in an outpost in Greenland.  “Luthor knows we’re missing, and he’s kinda got a chip on his shoulder about me.”  A grin twisted the edge of his mouth.  “I took him out the last time he got this high.”  The grin faded, and he continued, “So anyway, he’s looking for us, even if it’s only with a corner of his mind.”

                Kid Flash, just racing in the door with a limp Suigetsu in his arms, shot a glare over at Sasuke.  “Doesn’t help that you’re with us, Mr. Dark and Angsty.”

                Sasuke, who was too busy trying to vomit the last bits of his stomach out, made no reply.

                “Dude.”  Flash leveled a glare at his sidekick.  “Remember the Super-Awesome-Nice-Guy-Code-of-Hero-Stuff.”

                Sighing, Kid Flash dumped Suigetsu unceremoniously to the ground.  “Right.  Look, can I just leave the other two for a bit?  Hong Kong’s cooled down a bit now, they should be good for another minute or so.”

                “Get the girl first,  I’ll grab the big one.”

                They must have left, but either because of their speed or his delirium, Sasuke didn’t really notice.  One second they were there, the next they were… also there, but with Juugo and Karin.  Much help the Sharingan is these days.  He thought bitterly.

                “Why are we tugging around Team Comatose, anyway?” whined Kid Flash.

                “C’mon, man.  They’re among the few people NOT trying to kill us.”  Flash laid down Juugo with barely a wince.  “If we can get them back online, we raise the odds from 3 to 6 billion to… 6 to 6 billion.  See?  Much better.”  Flash shrugged.  “Besides, we need to figure out how to wake them up.”

                Kid Flash blinked.  “…why?”

                “So we can wake up the others back in the Tower!  Duh!”

                “Is… that… the plan?”  Sasuke managed to grunt, in between vomit attempts.  “Wake up… the others?”

                Flash and Kid Flash glanced at him as if noticing him for the first time.  Then Flash gave a long-suffering sigh.  “Hey kid, tell Gloomy here our multi-purpose, one-size-fits-all battle strategy.”

                “Yes sir!”  Kid Flash  faced Sasuke and gave a cocky grin.  “Run like heck!”

                Sasuke stared at him for a moment, waiting.  “That’s it?”

                “That’s it!”

                “Run like heck.  The essence of all strategy.”  Flash nodded approvingly.  “The only things you have to figure out are little things like where and for how long.  Oh, and maybe what you’ll do along the way.  But that’s the sort of stuff you can usually sort out en route.  If you’re a quick thinker.”

                “Which we are.”  Kid Flash buffed his glove on his suit.

                “Yes.  Yes we are,” agreed Flash, shooting his apprentice a look of approval.  “So.  That’s what we’ve been doing.”

                Sasuke’s eyebrow twitched.  “Running around aimlessly and figuring out destinations as they come to you?”

                “Pretty… much, yeah.”  Flash nodded.  “Oh, I mean, I’ve got a pretty good idea of our END destination… the MetroTower, where we wake up your friends and rescue Superman before pounding Luthor’s ass… but if we go there now, while he’s still out looking for us, he’ll figure it out immediately and probably kill them all before we can even do anything.”

                “So this is distraction.”

                “Yeah.  Basically we need to wear out his mind.”  Flash bit his lip.  “Will probably take a while.”

                Shaking his head and sighing, Sasuke stood to his feet.  “Look.  I don’t like you, or you, and I don’t particularly like any of those ninjas you have back in the MetroTower.  But I like Luthor even less right now.”

                Both Flashes glanced at each other.  “Is this going somewhere?” asked Flash.

                “Just so you understand why I’m helping you.”  Sasuke’s fingers wove in a complex seal and electricity crackled in front of him, quickly shifting and solidifying into three familiar figures.

                “Dude!”  Kid Flash was already on his feet.  “That’s me!”

                “Me too.”  Flash nodded, grinning.  “And aren’t I a handsome devil.”

                “Thanks man.  You don’t look so bad either,” replied the Flash clone, giving a cocky smile.

                Flash’s grin froze in place.  “That’s freaky.”

                “Raiton clones,” explained Sasuke, barely glancing at his double as he walked past them.  “They take less chakra than the Kage Bunshin clones that Naruto’s always forming, but they’re still not my specialty, I used a lot of chakra on them.”

                “So this plan of yours BETTER be good.”  The Sasuke clone glared.

                “They can’t run as fast as you—“

                “Well duh.”

                “Hey!  Let’s put this to a race, Pajama man!”

                “—but they should be enough to fool Luthor for a few moments,” continued Sasuke, ignoring the argument.  “I suggest you go and put them in an evident location, then come back and bring me to the MetroTower.”

                “And… how’re we going to wake up the ninjas?”  Kid Flash asked, returning to a suddenly empty room.

                Sasuke shrugged as the other Flash materialized.  “Figure it out on the way.”

 

 

* * *

 

                “An angel is an agent of order, and what is the Anti-Life Equation, if not order?”

                “I am an agent of GOD’S order,” growled the Spectre.  “All other order is but mockery.”

                “But a demon, ah, a demon is all about chaos.”

                Trigon frowned.  “You betray your ignorance, lap-dog.  I, for one, am in favor of an absolute order erected under myself.  Or indeed, most formations of order, if only God is not at the head.”

                “Thus, only the perfect chaos of a demon can combat the order of the Anti-Life Equation.”

                “Oh, really, Kyuubi.”  Trigon spat.  “You grossly misrepresent the situation.  Surely even the child knows that your ‘Moon’s Eye Plan’ depends on a demon.”

                “The brat is but a mortal, and a foolish lovesick one at that,” snarled Kyuubi in response.  “She has neither the mind nor the strength for the full explanation.”

                “At least allow me to give her a more believable lie.”  Trigon loomed closer, his great yellow eyes burning into her.  “Child, even the most powerful beings are bound by their own natures.  Spectre is an angel and cannot tell anything but the truth.  He can use your unique spiritual energy—your ‘chakra’—as a link to overpower your friends minds with the truth and wrench them away from Luthor’s control.”

                “Overpower?”  Hinata blinked.

                “Oh, he did not tell you that?”  Trigon aimed a malicious grin at Spectre.  “Spectre, as I said, does not lie, but he sometimes does not tell you the whole truth.  Spectre can counter Luthor’s false Anti-Life Equation only with the TRUE one—the one he and all angels and demons know.  But to know it is to be bound by it, as Luthor nearly discovered.  He will free your friends from Luthor’s influence, yes, but only to place them under his own.  He means to bring you under the Tyranny of Truth.”

                “But… if it’s true…”  Hinata stared quizzically at Trigon’s gleaming eyes.  “Aren’t we under it already?”

                Kyuubi’s loud raucous laughter filled the darkness, and Trigon growled.  Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata saw Spectre’s mouth twitch.  “Well noted, Hyuuga Hinata.  I but return you to your natural state.”

                “Yes, well…” Trigon waved Spectre to silence.  “He cannot do this with the rest of the world, as they have no chakra.  Nor can he do this with Luthor, although he possesses chakra, in his current form.  Luthor will not accept it, or any other idea that requires him to realize he is under another’s control.  That is how he escaped originally.  Thus, to fully defeat Luthor, a lie is needed—a powerful, believable lie which only a demon can create.”

                “You also twist and obscure the truth of the matter.”

                “A war of ideas?”  Kyuubi sneerd.  “That’s your ‘more believable lie’?”

                “What is the world formed of, if not ideas?” returned Trigon.  “For such as us, all of existence is but illusory, formed of thoughts.  Truth and Lies make up all the cosmos.”

                Spectre glared.  “They do not.  Your explanation to the girl is sorely wanting and intentionally misleading.”

                Shrugging, Trigon receded away from Hinata.  “Do you wish to add your explanation to the mix?”

                “No.  As you say, I cannot lie, and no human can bear the full truth.”  Spectre faced Hinata.  “Understand the essence at least.  I require the peculiar aid that a demon, and only a demon, can provide.  Luthor will not be stopped by the truth, and in his _current_ body he cannot be killed.  Thus, much as it galls me, I must request and demand the help of my greatest enemies.”

                “Demand?”  Trigon lifted his massive eyebrows.  “A strong word, Heavenly Executioner.  You are in no position to demand anything.  I am perfectly content to watch Luthor twist the Great Song to his will.  Anything that perverts the will of your Master amuses me.”

                “And I,” yawned the Kyuubi, “am not of this world, and care little what happens to it.  The only beings I know are helpless, which suits me very well.”

                “So then.  You are content that your hosts should remain slaves?”

                Trigon smiled a great slow smile.  “I have no host, merely a conduit, and though she has forestalled me once, another time will come.  What matters when, for one as ageless as I?”

                “For me, I couldn’t care less what happens to the brat.  Luthor can’t use him to control me.  And, if he kills him, I shall merely manifest myself back in my home.”  With a shrug, Kyuubi observed, “it would be the quickest way back.”

                “But this is a chance to do good!” exploded Spectre, as if unable to understand why no one would want to do such a thing.  “A final chance to redeem yourselves in the eyes of the Almighty!”

                “If it is final, at least we shall not have to refuse it again.”  Kyuubi’s toothy grin gleamed in the gloom.  “Nothing delights us more than to offend the Almighty.”

                “Reprobate!” hissed Spectre, pale eyes burning with rage.  “The pits of Sheol are too good for you, bone-crunchers and corpse-suckers!  Return then to your everlasting torments and your hopeless struggles, it matters not!  The will shall…”

                “Ex-excuse me…”

                It takes great courage to interrupt the Wrath of God, particularly when he is raging at two unwilling demons.  But Hinata barely flinched as all three turned to regard her.  “Ummm… you said his _current_ body.”  At Spectre’s uncomprehending glance she hurried to explain.  “Luthor cannot be killed in his _current_ body.  You said that.”  Hesitating for a moment, she looked up and asked, “Does he have another one?”

                Spectre nodded, momentarily distracted.  “The Darkseid part of him can also physically manifest, yes.  But more crucially, he has gained the ability to transfer his consciousness to other bodies.”

                “Possess people?”

                “More than that.  The transfer is difficult and very taxing, yet none the less dangerous for that.  The effect is permanent, and irreversible.  Any body he inhabits will die as soon as he leaves it.”

                Hinata’s eyes were growing wider.  _It’s like_ _Orochimaru_.  “Could he do that to us?  To Naruto-kun?”

                “Possibly.  At the moment I think he is planning to use Superman’s body, once he has fulfilled his revenge.  But should that prove impractical… yes, I think he could possess Naruto.”

                Hinata’s eyes grew cold and hard.

                “Wait a minute.”  Kyuubi shot into the light, straight in front of the Spectre.  “If he did that, he’d be in control of me, wouldn’t he?”

                “The Equation has no effect on our kind, lapdog.”  Trigon’s voice was full of scorn.

                “I know that, World-Sitter!” snapped Kyuubi in return.  “But the seal the Fourth placed on me does!  If he gains control of the brat, he gains control of me!”

                “More so than Naruto, I would think.”  Spectre nodded slowly.  “Luthor has both more intelligence and, surprising as it is, more will than Uzumaki Naruto does.  He would certainly gain a far, far better control over you than Naruto has.”

                Kyubi growled, he snapped, he turned around three or four times, and all his tails twitched ferociously.  Finally he stopped.  “Then I have no choice, do I?”

                “No.”  The corner of the Spectre’s mouth twitched again.  “Ironic, that even a demon is bound by his nature.”

                “Be silent, Watchdog,” snarled Kyuubi.  “I shall spin your lie for you, and that is all.  But know you this, it is NOT to redeem myself, nor to accomplish any kind of good.   It is against my will I aid you.”

                “And I shall not do so at all.” Trigon’s form began to fade into the darkness.  “I am not bound by a host, I have nothing to fear from Luthor’s possession.  But I shall not hinder you.  I shall merely watch.”

                “Watch then, and be damned.”  Spectre replied coolly.  He turned to Hinata.  “Well, are you ready, Hyuuga Hinata?  My power must flow through you, as yours must through Ino, to all your friends, therefore your willingness is required.  Will you let me do this?”

                Hinata’s gaze was as hard as flint.  “Yes.”

                “Then let us awaken the sleepers.”

 

 

* * *

 

                “I don’t get it.”  Kid Flash frowned at the door.  “Luthor’s got ungodly power, and he puts an electronic lock on this thing?  Why not just seal the room entirely?”

                “Luthor’s mind thinks in locks.”  Flash shrugged.  “He can’t help himself.  Though I will admit that’s the first chess-based lock I’ve seen.”

                Sasuke didn’t bother to comment.  The door was glass, as was the wall it was set in, and through it he could see all the other ninjas, lying each on their separate bed, sustained by various life-support devices.  For some reason, the sight of his old teammates, helpless in such a state, affected him… unusually.

                “Well, whatever.”  Kid Flash strode confidently forward.  “There can’t be more than 9000 combinations to this game, right?  This shouldn’t take long.”

                “Wait!”  Flash blurred in front of him.  “Omniscience, remember?  The first wrong answer will probably set it off!”  Another blur, and he was in front of Sasuke, gripping his sword arm.  “Or the first attempted breach!  The second he knows we’re here, everyone in that room is dead!”

                Sasuke glared back.  “I’m sure you’d be fast enough to save at least half.  Do you have any better strategies?”

                “Well, no…”

                “Then think fast, because one way or another…”

                “Uh… guys?”  Kid Flash’s nervous voice broke in on them.  “There’s something… sorta freaky going on here.”

                Both of them turned to behold something very strange.  A dark shadow, much like a snake, had just darted out of the ventilation shaft and was gliding toward them at a disquieting rate of speed.  It shot to the wall, up to the lock, and immediately began working out the chess game.

                Sasuke was slightly less confused as the others.  _Shikamaru._   But how?  Even if he was here and conscious, even if he could stretch his shadow so far, even if, conceivably, he knew where the ninjas were, how could he play the chess game without even seeing it?    At most, he couldn’t have had more than a glimpse of the starting position…

_Could you really determine the entire course of a game, and your responses to it, from a single starting position?  Was that even possible?_

                With a little beep, the lock clicked open.  A blur of red and yellow filled the room, and suddenly the entryway was filled with eleven limp bodies.

                “So… we got them.”  Kid Flash glanced to his mentor.  “Now… how exactly were we going to wake them up again?”

                “That was always kind of the fuzzy part of the plan.”  Flash admitted, rubbing his chin.  “Maybe we could link them with the Speed Force?”

                Kid Flash blinked.  “Would that work?”

                “No idea.  Don’t really want to try, to be honest, last time I did that I almost didn’t come back.”  He sighed.  “Still, if there’s no other way…”

                Hinata’s eyes snapped open.  Then Ino’s.  Then Tenten, Sai, and Naruto, and before Sasuke knew what was happening the whole  room of ninjas was getting to its feet.

                Flash blinked.  “Well… that took care of itself.”

                Kid Flash’s mind was on something else entirely.  “Um… boss?  Where did we leave Team Comatose again?”

                Flash’s eyes widened in sudden understanding.  “The reactor…”

                An explosion rocked the complex.  In one second both Flashes were gone.  In two they were back with Suigetsu and Karin.  In three they returned, badly bruised, with a raging Juugo.

                And in four seconds, the wall to the entryway vanished entirely, revealing an enormous figure sheathed in gleaming black armor, and behind him, the indistinct shapes of a hundred League heroes.

                “So,” said Darkseid.  “It seems you found a way to circumvent my control after all. No matter.  I find this uprising amusing, and crushing it will cement my control more firmly yet.  Attention Luthor League!”  He gestured, and the room behind him stood upright.  “Destroy them!”

                And the entire roomful of metas charged at the ninjas.


	30. Finalization

 

                “Have to say, I’m surprised at you.”  Shikamaru remarked.

                The enormous dark man that had been Luthor five seconds ago turned to regard him.  **“Why, foolish mortal?”**

                “Just the way you’re going about this.”  A simple gesture indicated the scene directly below their invisible, floating box.  The floor seethed with sixteen ninjas and some hundred heroes, battling more or less across the room, though various screens showed a number of fights that had crashed out into the streets or other areas of the MetroTower.  Though he couldn’t pretend to know the powers of all the different metas present (though he was fast cataloging them), Shikamaru felt this might have been an uneven match, if Naruto hadn’t spawned about ten thousand clones into existence.  They didn’t do much besides throw around Rasengans, but they were EVERYWHERE, and the heroes were pretty badly disoriented by the whole… Naruto-ness of the room.

                Of course, something about those red and yellow streaks shooting through everything seemed to be helping too.  Shikamaru had no idea what they were, but they seemed to be keeping the metas completely off balance.  Hopefully they would keep it up.

The man’s stone grey face was still staring at him for an explanation.  Shikamaru decided to go for it.  “If I was a god, I wouldn’t even be pretending to lead my forces into battle like that,” said he, pointing at a clone of his captor in the thick of the fight, nonchalantly punching clones away.  “Any big brute with more muscles than brains could do that.  SUPERMAN could do that, if it came down to it.”  Shikamaru noted the faint stiffening of his enemy and smiled inwardly.  “Seems awfully stupid.  Last I heard, gods don’t fight their own battles, they get pitiful mortals to fight them out for them.”

“ **That is just and proper** ,” nodded the other.

“Don’t know about that, but it’s what gods do.  Well, all gods except you, apparently.”

The man’s glowing eyes regarded Shikamaru for a moment.  **“Your duplicity is so unbounded, mortal, that I cannot discern whether you seek to manipulate me into removing my avatar, or, by reverse psychology, into removing my pawns.”**

“So much for unbounded wisdom,”  yawned Shikamaru

 **“The human mind is a mystery even to gods.  Your mind in particular.  However, I think I shall outmatch you this time, mortal.”**   A small curve twisted the edge of the creature’s mouth.  **“Rather than removing my avatar OR my pawns, I shall retain both.  I have underestimated you and your friends too often for me to make the same mistake again.”**

“Promises, promises.  Well, knock yourself out, I guess.”  Shrugging, Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.  “You wanna play chess?  You might find this battle thing interesting, but its sorta dull to me.”

 **“A worthy attempt, Mr. Nara, but no.”**   Just a trace of Luthor’s amusement filtered into the monster’s deep bass.  **“I may have two bodies, but I have only one focus, and I should prefer to spend it on the real battle.”**

“Suit yourself.”  Another yawn hid Shikamaru’s growing dismay.  Truthfully, he hadn’t expected to live beyond the prison breakout, and had more or less resigned himself to being an early casualty of Luthor’s rage.  But having lived thus far, his mind was busily working on ways to KEEP living as long as possible, or at least to keep as many of his friends living as could be arranged.

Unfortunately, none of his usual tricks seemed to be working.  Shikamaru was unsure how to handle this bigger, darker Luthor—or Darkseid, if he’d heard that right—and there weren’t many other ways of affecting the battle from this floating box, what with him being magically bound to the chair and all.  It looked as though he’d be doomed to remain a spectator in this battle, helpless to aid or hinder his friends.

_Young man, who are you?  Are you alright?_

Before Shikamaru quite had time to process the existence of a voice in his head, and the possible implications that raised, another voice chimed in.  And this voice was familiar.

_Shikamaru?_

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _Listen everyone, I found Shikamaru.  I’m updating him now._

                Sakura really didn’t care for Ino’s interruptions, however vital.  For one, they made it really, really hard to focus, something kinda important when you were trying to keep a certain Thanagarian’s mace from entering your skull.  For two, Sakura had more than enough voices in her head already, and Ino’s wasn’t making the other’s any happier.

                But then, maybe that was making her so doggone POWERFUL right now.

                Sakura had never felt such a rush of adrenaline, such an absolute euphoria of rage.  Some corner of her mind distantly noted that she was screaming, roaring in glee as her huge twin axes slashed away at Hawkgirl, whipping back just in time to block the powerful blow from her mace.  The shudder of the strike shot through the blade and vibrated through the handles, but Sakura wasted no time thinking about it, for she moved with the force, yielding under Hawkgirl’s pressure to duck into a roll and go right between the Thanagarian’s legs. 

Huh.  Some kind of teenager with a golden rod was flying at her.  Sakura batted her away with the flat of her axe, then whirled up just in time to catch Hawkgirl’s mace on the upswing.  This was actually kind of fun, in a way, like the sparring bouts she’d had with Hawkgirl.

Except a lot more forceful.  And with a ton of more people running around.  And, of course, everyone was using sharp, pointy objects. 

Sakura caught the crackling mace in the crook of one of her axes, trying to whip it away from Hawkgirl.  It was doomed to fail, but it gave her time to whip out her other axe and give Shayera a healthy slash across the midsection.  Sakura tried to follow that up with a clubbing attack at the head, but Hawkgirl had recovered by then and her mace swung back around to knock the axe aside.  A quick writhe of her body carried Sakura just barely away from the mace’s return strike, but it also threw her off balance, sending her tumbling to the floor.

                Sakura’s brain barely had time to process the sight of the mace whizzing at her before an orange blur shot over head and bowled into Hawkgirl full force, knocking her backwards and sending the mace flying.  With a curse, the Thanagarian tore the Naruto clone off her and hurled him at the ceiling, where he exploded into smoke.

                Fumbling wildly for her axes, Sakura sprang to her feet, painfully conscious of the _poof_ s and small explosions of smoke behind her.  It was good to be alive and all, but knowing that about thirty  different clones had died to give you enough time to get back up dampened your enthusiasm considerably.  Getting a firmer grip on her axes, she charged at the unarmed Hawkgirl, who growled and flew right at her. 

It was all in a second… axes flashing—a sudden flurry of wings—a great punch to her abdomen—a strong sensation of weightlessness, of violent motion—a desperate flailing of her free arm—again weightlessness—then a collision with the ground (or at least with a Naruto clone) that knocked the wind out of her.

The clones did their best to provide a protective ring as she struggled up, but Sakura was only just hobbling to her feet when a screaming Black Canary broke through and aimed a series of kicks at her.  Sakura deflected the first more or less on luck, the second knocked her back, but on the third she blocked the leg, grabbed it, and threw Canary bodily across the room.

A roaring attracted her attention leftwards.  Hawkgirl was back, and she’d found her mace again.  Sakura threw up her axe to block the blow.

To her horror, Hawkgirl’s mace broke the axe’s blade in half and smashed into her side.  Pain danced through Sakura’s head and darkness swam in her vision, but she managed to bring up her other weapon and smash the Thanagarian across the face with it.

As her winged opponent stumbled backwards, Sakura caught the flash of red and gold out of the corner of her eye.  Something grabbed hold of her…

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Sakura’s been replaced.  Don’t worry about her, just keep at it now!  Shikamaru says we need to buy some time!_

                Chouji didn’t like fighting at the best of times.  It was annoying, it was tiring, and most of the time, it tended to be painful.  He liked Naruto well enough, but he’d never understood his friend’s delight for combat.

                But fighting at the worst of times—when all other options had been exhausted and things were really desperate—that was something Chouji could do.  He wouldn’t like it, but he could do it.

                And right now, despite the half-dozen bullets in his kneecap, despite the enormous fist Atom Smasher was trying to plant in his face, despite the annoying silver man flying around his head, despite the fact that his head kept bumping against the twenty-foot-tall ceiling, Chouji couldn’t be happier.  Not because the situation was desperate—though it was—but he had voices in his head.

                _Chouji, Shikamaru needs you to occupy more of the meta force and draw them away!  We’re losing too many of the clones and the Flash team can’t keep this up forever!_

                “Yes we can!” protested a yellow blur as it raced past Chouji’s ear.

                Shikamaru was back!  He was okay, and he was back, and he was giving orders again, and everything was going to be awesome again!  Okay, so apparently the bald guy had some incredibly powerful world-controlling genjutsu thing that was turning all the heroes against them.  (Or something like that… Chouji hadn’t caught all of Hinata’s explanation.)  So what?  Shikamaru was back!

                And if Shikamaru wanted him to distract more of the hero-people, heck, that’s what he’d do!

                Ducking under Atom Smasher’s fist, Chouji charged forwards, stomping his way through the crowd of heroes.  He shoved a massive elbow deep into Atom Smasher’s side, sending the massive man stumbling backwards.

                _Chouji, watch your step!  You just about smashed Sai!_

                Suppressing an unworthy thought about if that would be so bad, Chouji planted his feet and stood still.  His charge had served its purpose, though… more heroes had gotten upset, and now a whole new team of them was attacking.

                The silver man whizzed in front of him, raising a giant hammer.  Chouji tried to swat him aside, but the man slipped through his fingers and struck him directly on the temple.  It didn’t exactly daze Chouji, but it did smart.  Almost on reflex, his hand slapped his head, and a badly-mangled Steel tumbled earthward.

                Oh dear.  They were probably going to hear it about that.

                More bullets, pounding into his kneecap.  Chouji tried to unseat Vigilante through a little foot-shuffle, but the westerner easily avoided his massive foot and continued firing away.  And now there was some black lady in an orange outfit running up his leg, clinging to his pants like a cat, weaving skillfully around his attempts to knock her off.  And there were… ow! 

                Turning around, Chouji saw Green Lantern shooting at him, green energy shooting from his power ring to smash against Chouji’s massive frame.  Even as he turned, an enormous fist formed from the energy and dealt him a devastating right hook.

                _Chouji’s falling!  Chouji’s falling!  Clear the area, clear the area!_

Metal and concrete cracked under his weight, leaving a vaguely Chouji-shaped depression in the floor.  Before he could even think of getting up, heroes were swarming over him, cutting away at his armor with lasers, swords, sharp claws, anything they had on hand.  One apparently humorous Leaguer began to stab away at his hind end.

                Chouji, however, was more occupied with the green glow zooming toward him.  It was swelling in size, starting to grow into what looked like a giant-sized Luthor.  And out of the corner of his eye, Chouji could see Atom Smasher getting up.

                This was bad, Chouji realized.  He didn’t even know if he could handle Green Lantern, much less Lantern, Smasher, and the two dozen heroes swarming over his backside.

                But he had to.  Shikamaru and the others were depending on him. 

Slowly, carefully, Chouji struggled to his feet, trying to shake off as many of the little tag-on heroes as possible.  They were all over his back, there were a number on his legs and a select annoying few had reached his head.  But he couldn’t deal with them right now.  Green Lantern was almost here.  Chouji planted his feet, brought up his fists, and…

“YOSH!”

A green and orange blur raced up his back, plowing a swathe through the heroes adorning it.  It shot across Chouji’s neck, through his hair, off his head and straight into the giant green Luthor.

“Dynamic Entry!”

Chouji didn’t exactly have time to wonder what Gai-sensei was doing here, or whether he seriously would be able to take on Green Lantern himself.  All he had time to do was turn around and meet Atom Smasher’s onslaught.

Chouji couldn’t risk stepping backward, or even stumbling, not with so many of his friends around.  And for the same reasons, he couldn’t very well let Atom Smasher go crashing down either.  So he could only let Atom Smasher hit him like a freight train and hold him there, sumo-style, while trying to ignore the heroes carving initials into his skin.

Chouji stood there, muscles heaving, bones creaking, nerves strained to the highest pitch, his fingers firmly clasped about Atom Smasher.  He could feel the hero growing in size and did his best to match it, but it was only a matter of time before he reached his limit.  To top it off, the lady in the orange costume had clawed her way up to his face and was tearing her way up his cheek.  He had an uncomfortable feeling she was headed for his eye.  Slowly, his left foot slid backwards.

_Chouji!  Don’t fall, practically our whole team is right behind you there!_

Something was pricking the back of his neck—a hero of some kind, probably, stabbing away.  Atom Smasher was still growing.

_Listen, Chouji, get out of here!  You can’t fight in these quarters, you need to get those guys off of you!_

                Heaving mightily, Chouji tried to push Atom Smasher away but the man was simply too big.  He grew to match it, nearly bending over double to fit in the room.  All across his back he felt burning sears and slashes as his armor and cloth began to give way.  Something slashed away at his Achilles tendon and he fell to one knee.

                _Chouji!_

                Chouji’s eyes snapped open.  With a growl, he pushed himself up, shaking loose two or three unwary hitchhikers.  He shrank, leaving Atom Smasher’s fingers grasping nothing but air, then grew again at an astonishing rate, barreling in size upwards straight into Smasher.  And as he continued to grow, smashing up into the ceiling and through the next floor, brilliant blue wings burst from his back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_I… I… okay.  Okay.  Chouji just took out… uh… half of the metas, I think.  Took out, I mean, they’re outside, not dead, but…  Anyway, you don’t have to worry about it.  Just keep at it._

                Sai wondered why Ino thought he WOULD worry.  Chouji was a fine comrade, but hardly a close friend.  Granted, Sai didn’t have many comrades either, but in this situation… it was a battle, and sacrifices had to occasionally be made.  If Chouji died taking out half of the meta force, or even a quarter, it would be a better death than many another ninja could have achieved.

                But of course, as Sai hastily reminded himself, that was morbid and slightly inhuman way of viewing the situation.  You weren’t supposed to consign your comrades to death, and he wasn’t doing that to Chouji.  Chouji was a big boy, after all.  He could take care of himself.

                Although, Sai reflected as he unleashed a new set of ink hawks, these weren’t exactly your average set of opponents.  They ate up most of his lesser monsters, and he really didn’t have enough of the bigger ones to meet them all.  He could draw more, of course, but he didn’t really think he wanted to risk that at this rate of…

                Sai backflipped out of the way of Question’s left hook and finished his drawing in mid-air, sending three snakes gliding in the conspiracy theorist’s direction.  Hearing a slight whirring out of the corner of his ear, he landed in a crouch and let a stray T-sphere go whizzing over his head.  He turned to face Terrific, but even as he did, the scientist was engulfed in a globe of insects.

                Sai had just barely time to feel relief at that before he found himself whipping away from a rather psychotic woman with a katana.  Sai brought out his own sword to block it, but he couldn’t pretend to be anywhere near the lady’s skill level with her sword.  Still, no major problem.  Sai inhaled and blew a cloud of ink right into the woman’s face, then gave her a sharp rap on the head.

                Something heavy landed behind him.  Sai rolled away on instinct and came up facing his opponent.  An burly, quite ordinary-looking man covered in tattoos.  What sort of…

                Sai’s unspoken question was answered as three snakes writhed off the man’s arm and shot at him.  Quicker than sight, Sai’s pen formed three hawks, which grabbed the snakes and proceeded to tear them apart.  The tiger tattoo adorning the man’s chest came to life and leapt at him, roaring.  Sai rolled away, scribbling a few finishing touches on a lion that erupted off the page and charged at the tiger.  As they fought, Sai sent his remaining ink hawks at the man’s head and used the distraction to get in close and deliver a few quick blows at decisive points.

                Sai watched as the man slumped to the floor.  _An interesting opponent_ , he mused.  _I wonder if…_

                _Sai!  Look out!_

                Almost automatically, Sai ducked, letting three bullets whizz over his head, bullets he was sure wouldn’t have missed him if it hadn’t been for that whoosh of yellow energy out of the corner of his eye.  Already he was up and racing toward the source of the bullets, dodging his way through the battle.  Sure, there were TONS of enemies to choose from here, but right now he needed to deal with the one that was specifically interested in him.

                He found him about halfway up the wall, hanging there with one powerful arm and throwing off Naruto clones with the other.  His single red optic caught sight of Sai and instantly he unleashed a swarm of bullets, but this time Sai was ready and performed a quick substitution.

                _KGBeast?  Isn’t he a villain_?  His subconscious answered, _So is Luthor_.

                Nodding absentmindedly in agreement, Sai shot up the wall, already sketching on his scroll.  A new patch of snakes popped out, snaring the man’s arms and legs for all of five seconds before they burst apart under the strain of holding him.  Those five seconds gave Sai the chance to close the gap to him, but the man simply let go of the wall and plummeted to the floor, firing away at him all the way down.  Despite Sai’s efforts, several of the bullets grazed his side and he winced.

                _Need to close the distance,_ he reminded himself as he dashed down the wall and into the crowd.  _Too dangerous at long range._ Quickly his fingers flew in a seal, and a new Sai condensed out of ink beside him.  He shot out of the crowd, ahead of Sai, straight at KGBeast, and nearly covered half the distance before exploding into a bullet-ridden cloud of ink.

                But in the meantime, Sai had slipped around behind the man.  Quick as sight, his paper flipped out, and an enormous gorilla leapt off the page and onto KGBeast.

                _That should occupy him for a moment or so_ , thought Sai, flipping to a new page in his sketchpad.  _And now that I have a breather… let us see how Susanoo would affect this battle._

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _Okay, everybody, we’ve got a momentary advantage!  Sai’s Susanoo should keep a large section of the metas occupied for a while, so press the fight!  We need to get through to Darkseid!_

                Shino filed away the knowledge and continued fighting.  A beautiful system, this… much like a hive mind.  The experience was granting him new insight into the viewpoints and techniques of his allies, insight that could doubtless be incorporated into more effective jutsus at a later date.

                ‘Later’ being the operative term, of course.  Attempting to devise new jutsus in the midst of combat would simply not be optimum.  Naruto might excel at that sort of improvisation, but Shino did not.  Aburame had to work with their insects, and you couldn’t train insects to perform totally new attacks in the course of a few seconds.

                Regrettable, because his current opponent seemed to be able to adapt his floating robotic sphere to any new format he chose.  Even more regrettably, his opponent appeared to be an _extremely_ creative man.

                Shino dodged the first ball shooting at his foot and made a stab at the one circling his head.  His allies were occupied with the third… thank goodness this man only seemed to have three of these things on hand.  But they didn’t seem to be making much progress ripping it apart, and their effect on its speed was negligible.  Some new tactic was required, clearly.

                A buzzing of the insects on his shoulder warned Shino of the first globe’s return.  He’d placed a tracker bug on all three of the globes, and males got agitated whenever they approached.   It wasn’t much of a warning, but, in a time like this, it was enough of an edge for him to pivot on his left foot, ducking as he did so, and avoid the speeding T-sphere. 

                Each of the T-spheres (Shino had noted) needed a little space in order to build up anything like damaging momentum, and his sudden movement caught the orbiting sphere off-guard.  It fumbled for a little before re-orienting itself, but by the time it found him, Shino had hurled an exploding note.

                BOOOM!

                Curious, observed Shino as he picked himself up off the ground.  The explosion was disproportionate to the actual size of the sphere.  Clearly, those T-sphere’s contained a great deal of energy.  He was a lightning type, could he--? But no.  They moved too fast, too elusively, and anyway Shino had never attained a full mastery over his element.

                Shino had only an instant of respite, but he used it to the full.  He recorded data about the surrounding battle, about his position in it, about the probable impact on the increasingly-loud explosions that denoted where Naruto and Sasuke were.  He noted his opponent, easily cutting through rank after rank of Naruto clones, and for the first time realized that he was not Terrific’s only opponent.  Even while fighting Shino, Terrific was constantly battling off several clones with his additional spheres—apparently he did indeed have more than three. 

                The observation increased Shino’s respect of his opponent, and also exacerbated his regret at their battle, but it could not be helped.  Ino had made the stakes of this situation very clear.  If Shino had to kill the man to get through, he would.

                With this in mind, Shino leapt back into action.  A single outstretched arm sent out the command, sending his insects boiling outwards toward the man.  Their ranks were too thin, their range too broad for any T-sphere to block.

                Or so Shino thought.  Terrific, somehow sensing the assault, instantly whirled about, sending two spheres at the swarm of bugs.  Energy crackled between them as they whirled round and round each other, spinning faster and faster in a widening whirlwind.  Shino’s swarm was blown apart by the force, his many allies dispersed to the wind, left to wander their way back to his coat and re-organize.  A few made it through, but they found themselves thwarted by the superhero’s skin-tight spandex costume.    (Shino reflected momentarily as to whether there might be a hidden insight to Lee’s  obsession with such clothing, but discarded the notion nearly instantly.)  Defeated, they too swarmed back to their master.

                Shino had not been idle.  It had taken every second of his speed and instinct to dive out of the way of Terrific’s makeshift hurricane, but once he had, he had wasted no time on the opening.  Terrific’s other spheres were still occupied with the Naruto clones, the only two he could spare on Shino were still whirring away behind him and would take a few moments to change velocity.  This left Terrific (momentarily) without his allies.  Shino shot forward, a kunai raised in his hand.

                Now Shino was generally considered a genius, even among the Aburame.  That did not, though, mean that he was an exceptionally gifted taijutsu artist.  His talents were more than acceptable for a ninja, but they did not reach the levels of, for example, Sai. (Lee and Neji did not even bear thinking about.) 

So when he closed with Terrific and found the other to be an expert in several different forms of martial arts, two of which were completely novel to him, Shino was understandably discomfited.  The advantage was still Shino’s—ninja training was more generally comprehensive than most earth forms, and Shino had been training since he could walk—but this needed to be done quickly, more quickly than a full-out fight would allow.  And his allies were not yet sufficiently reinforced for a cocooning attack.

Shino made his decision.  Blocking a downward chop from the scientist, he threw a handful of insects in the man’s face, commanding them to swarm his eyes.  Terrific still kept his ground remarkably well, apparently now relying on sound, or perhaps feedback from his returning spheres, but the distraction was more than enough for Shino to whip past the man’s defenses and touch several key points on his neck.

Terrific slumped to the floor, unconscious.  All about the battlefield, his spheres flickered and died.

Turning with a sigh of relief, Shino was just about to run on to a new target when a dark-gloved hand came out of nowhere and dealt him a sharp chop to the neck.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                _Shino’s down, guys, but I’ve sent Sai over to take care of him.  He took down Terrific, that frees up a lot of the Naruto clones, and those spheres you were all complaining about should be gone now too.  Better hurry, though, Sai’s Susanoo can’t last much longer._

                Neji did not bother to even think ‘Roger.’  He simply let go of the string and let the arrow fly, then nocked another without even waiting to see if it would hit.  Already his Byakugan eyes were seeking out a new target, on the far side of the room.

                Generally Neji, as a close-combat specialist, moved constantly about the battlefield, debilitating ninjas as he went.  And at the start, that had been his role here, also.  He’d dashed through the hero ranks, taking opponents out one by one.  But it’d been going far too slowly.  All of these metas seemed to have substantial training of some kind or another, and his Jyuuken style was not nearly as effective without a chakra network to aim at.  True, Neji had been fighting villains without networks for months now, but heroes seemed to be much more talented.  And MUCH more durable, unless that was Luthor’s Equation at work.  Their vastly superior numbers didn’t help either, Neji couldn’t really focus with all that was going on.

                Things had changed after he’d found Speedy, though.  He remembered the shrimpy teenager from his training sessions with Green Arrow.  He’d been Green Arrow’s partner (or his sidekick, Neji still wasn’t sure which), and a Titan’s leader at one point.  Now, of course, he was another Luthor-brainwashed crazy, but that hadn’t changed the fact that he was Neji’s inferior, at least in close-range taijutsu.  While the fight hadn’t been easy, it’d been one of the quicker ones, and it ended with Neji holding Speedy’s bow.

                That had added significantly to his options.  Neji was nowhere near as good at the bow as he was at jabbing people, but apparently most heroes were nowhere near as good at dodging arrows as they were at dodging bullets.  Neji didn’t understand it, but he still could use it.

                He’d eventually fallen onto a mixture of both techniques, a mixture that more or less involved picking them off at long range before closing in to completely disable them at close range.  And, when time allowed, running to a vantage spot on the wall and shooting off a few arrows until someone noticed him.

                Like now.  Apparently that last shot had been just a bit too much, someone was starting to break off from the main group of heroes, heading more or less in his direction.  Worse, they were flying.  Flying on a small metal disc crackling with Raiton energy…

                Static.

                Neji leapt off the wall seconds before the bolt of lightning struck it.  Already he had the bow out, shooting off arrows at Static, but none of them hit.  The teen simply deflected any that came too close.  Still, at least that kept him from shooting any further charges after Neji as the ninja fell earthward.

                Neji landed easily, whipping the bow onto his back and raising his hands in the Jyuuken style as Static raced toward him.  As the electrical onslaught began again, Neji whirled about in an elaborate Kaiten, deflecting the attacks outward into surrounding Leaguers.  Faster and faster he spun, as Static flew closer and closer, hurling bolt after bolt, until suddenly, as Static’s disc neared impact, he leapt up, up and over the flying teenager, before plummeting down, hands glowing.

                CRAAASSH!

                Neji didn’t need the dust to clear, he could already see he’d failed.  With nearly unbelievable reflexes, Static had flipped over in mid-air, upturning his flying disc to meet Neji’s attack.  The disc itself was severely cracked in places, and the Byakugan revealed a few broken bones in Static’s right wrist, but the teenager himself was unharmed.

                And, Neji realized belatedly, fully capable of unleashing another attack.

                Pain crystalized on Neji’s palm, lancing its way up his arm and through his body before he could even think.  His muscles seized up, his vision darkened, his mind grew fuzzy.  Static’s attack had nowhere near the ferocity of Livewire’s, but it had been delivered at much closer range, and Neji could barely even feel most of his body over the overwhelming, pounding pain.  Through the mist on the edges of his vision, he saw Static rearing up his disc, and realized something.

                These heroes would kill.

                The red-and-yellow blur flashed across Neji’s immediate area, and suddenly Static was flying backwards, repelled by an unseen force.  He’d no sooner hit the ground than three Naruto clones piled on him, and though he soon dispelled them with a shockwave, by the time he was up Neji had recovered and was once again waiting for him.

                This time Neji went directly for the offensive, spinning into a Kaiten immediately and bearing down on Static with breathtaking speed.  The other teen no longer had his flying disc, but the metal floor beneath him ripped away from its bolts and immediately he was on a flying surfboard of steel, shooting far out of the reach of Neji’s whirlwind of death.

                Neji did not even pause, but continued spinning all the way to the wall, smashing aside Leaguers (and the occasional Naruto clone) in his path.  Only when he reached the wall did he stop his twirl, smoothly drawing the bow from his back as his feet dashed up its surface, notching arrow to the string as he rose above the rest of the tumult.

                Static had been flying pretty high, apparently hoping to gain some time that way, but as soon as he saw Neji run up the wall, he flew out toward the middle of the room, hurling bolt after bolt.  Neji whipped back and forth across the wall, firing arrows all the way.  None of them hit, but they DID make Static do some fairly impressive arobatics.

                Neji’s arm flew to his quiver and groped for a moment before finding an arrow… his LAST arrow.

                The distraction that came from this realization gave Static a free moment.  His hands thrust outward, and with a sudden jolt of shock Neji realized his feet were lifting from the wall—or rather the metal beneath them was.  Static had ripped his path off the wall, and he was swiftly heading into thin air.

                There was barely time to think.  Feeding chakra directly to his leg muscles, Neji leapt, out into the air, straight at Static, hands glowing in attack.   If he could just reach him…

                Static’s surfboard darted aside easily, and Neji continued his headlong descent.  Yet even as he fell he notched a last arrow to the string and shot, straight up, at Static.  The surfboard dodged that too…

                …but failed to take into account the explosive note attached to it.

                BOOOM!

                Neji watched with a quiet satisfaction as the surfboard and its airborne rider tumbled earthward.  And as he heard the flutter of ink-laden wings beneath him, the thought occurred to him.

                _I flew_ …

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _Gai-sensei, please stop kicking it!  That shield is formed from pure willpower, it’s not going to break just because you hit it really hard!_

                “Ah-HA, youthful… Ino, but the… force of my will… power is twenty… times the force of his!” laughed Gai, in between his gasps of pain.  “I shall destroy his shield… by sheer… WILLPOWER!”  He leapt into the air.  “Guillotine Drop!”

                Gai fell onto the glowing, green bubble with all the power possible between his body and the force of gravity.  Energy crackled and flared, and Gai saw (or imagined he saw) faint hairline cracks in the surface, but the shield held firm, and Gai rebounded off of it.

                Sliding to a stop some feet away, Gai took a moment—and only a moment—to fully consider the situation.  “Ino."  He said, his considerable brow knitted in concentration.  “I have a bit of information that may prove useful to Shikamaru.  That is no ordinary shield.”

_WELL DUH!_

Gai winced a little as Ino’s angry shout echoed through his mind.  While it was tempting to simply test his unstoppable force against the immovable object of that shield, Gai was quite aware of the surrounding battle.  He did not have the luxury, alas, of truly single combat, that most youthful of art forms.  One of his opponent’s friends might interfere, or worse, one of the ninjas might.  It would not be a true contest, in Gai’s mind.  And, of course, Ino’s information called for urgency.  This battle could not be fought according to his own wishes, it must be fought with clean, cold, warlike efficiency.

                Contrary to popular belief, Gai thought very quickly, just not generally on subjects that ‘normal’ people thought about.  All this passed through his head in three seconds, approximately the amount of time it took the man in the green shield to slowly relax and smile.

                The next second, the air was filled with bolts of green energy.  Gai weaved and dove through the onslaught with breathtaking speed and agility, gritting his teeth against the few shots that found their home.  Once or twice he got right up against the man and shot a powerful blow at the shield, but once again it merely crackled with the impact.

                _Gai-sensei.  That shield is powered by the man’s ring.  It can make anything he imagines.  If you can catch him off guard and take his ring…_

                “His ring?”  Gai stopped for a tenth of a second, costing him several wounds in the shoulder.  “Do you mean to say he is using a weapon?”

                _Uh… yeah, I guess, but what…_

                “Ah-HAH!”  Leaping high into the air, Gai landed somewhere behind his opponent.  His hands flew to his belt.  “Then I too, shall use my weapons!”

                Nun-chucks were not overly popular weapons in the ninja world, due partly to their lack of sharp edges and reliance on blunt force.  Magic nunchucks were alright, and chakra-enhanced nunchucks were acceptable in certain circumstances, but plain wooden ones?  No one in their right mind would ever fight with those.

                Gai did it all the time.

                “YOSH!”  Nunchucks whirling, the taijutsu master once again leapt to the attack.  He rained down thousands of blows upon the man’s impenetrable shield, reveling simply in the challenge.  Green bolts flew all around him, but he was not deterred, simply smashing away with wonderfully youthful vigour.

                _Gai-sensei!  Shikamaru says that if you attack from below…_

                “Understood, youthful Ino!”  Leaping high into the air, Gai came crashing down, one foot extended, to smash completely through the floor into the room beneath. 

Almost before Green Lantern had time to wonder what he was about, the floor erupted underneath him.  “Primary Lotus!” roared Gai as he crashed upwards through the metal, legs flying in a green whirlwind.

                A few powerful kicks carried Green Lantern well into the air, but Gai had not only leapt up through one room already, he had also had to smash through a floor at full speed.  His power was not enough to daze the unshielded man, nor was his momentum great enough to keep the man from simply flying away from the fury of his feet.  Gai watched, disconsolate, as his prey escaped him into the air.

                Landing once again, Gai considered the situation.  He needed to finish this quickly.  He needed to help his students.  He needed to break that shield.

                Green Lantern floated a good distance above the tumult, keeping his eyes fixed on Gai.  Apparently Gai’s last move had caught him badly off-guard, and he wanted to take a moment to recover.

                Unfortunately, Green Lantern did not know the first rule of dealing with Gai, or indeed with anyone who could open the celestial gates. 

                You never gave them time to open them.

                Gai’s eyes shot open, blazing with fire.  The blood thumped powerfully beneath his skin, turning a violent shade of crimson.  Blue sweat poured from his skin, evaporating nearly on impact, creating a glowing blue aura about his form.  Green Lantern stared in disbelief as the man leapt sixty feet into the air to come exactly equal with his position, and for a moment, the two locked eyes.

                “Morning Peacock!”

                _Gai-sensei, I told you that won’t do anything!  It’s powered by willpower!_

                Ino was quite correct.  The Green Lantern power ring was capable of performing anything its user imagined, and could be broken by nothing save yellow energy.

                But the flip side was that the ring was weak against anything that its user imagined it weak against.  The greatest enemy of any Green Lantern was fear, for only the things they feared could truly destroy them.

                And Gai, powered by six of the eight celestial gates, was a truly fearsome sight to behold.

                Green Lantern’s shield shivered.  It cracked.  It splintered under Gai’s blistering barrage, and the Lantern had only a half-second to realize it before Gai, in all his true might, was upon him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _The Susannoo’s gone, but we’ve made some good headway!  Keep it up, everyone, everything’s almost in place!_

                A cybernetic arm sounded like a cool idea until you realized that it forced you to continually be holding a gun, Tenten reflected.  Now, the majority of her time spent fighting usually DID include holding a weapon of some kind, but usually they were all different ones.  You could switch, match up, toss out, do whatever.  A cyborg arm?  You were stuck with it, and unless you wanted to fold it back up while it was still hot, it was the only type that you could use with that arm.

                Not that she was complaining, exactly.   This thing was beautiful, she’d punched holes in nearly four different Leaguers so far.  The others had seemed pretty touchy about killing them, so she’d stuck to non-vitals—mostly kneecaps and such.  It’d been hard, with the way those heroes dodged around, but she’d managed it.  This thing was beautifully accurate, and wonderfully powerful.  She could get used to just using this thing.

                But that wasn’t necessary, really.  She’d picked up one of Vigilante’s pistols from where he’d dropped it fighting Chouji, and someone had dropped an impressive-looking knife which she’d gripped in her teeth.  So really, she had all the weapons she needed.

                What she WANTED, though, was a weapons-laden robot like the one chasing her right now.

                Little tiny iron bits of death whizzed about her, punching through the metal on every side.  Tenten didn’t even dare to look around at the massive white robot, the heavy thud-thud of its footsteps told her all she needed to know.  Quickly she checked the explosive dart allowance on her cyborg arm—three darts left.

                She switched direction as quickly as possible, braking suddenly and dashing straight back.  Fast as she was, it wasn’t quite fast enough, several sharp pains exploded across her left arm and side, and something nicked her on the shoulder, but she pushed past the pain and ran on, straight toward the massive mech, whipping around its legs, away from its bullet-spewing hands.  Before it could turn and bring its weapons to bear, she locked her arm into place, aimed for the hairline of the entry hatch, and fired off an explosive dart.

                For such a small projectile, the darts were surprisingly strong, comparable to two or three explosive notes.  So Tenten felt a little disappointed when the smoke cleared and revealed a somewhat battered, but still intact, entry hatch.

                It also revealed ten open fingers ready to fire.

                Tenten turned to run, but not quite in time.  Something buried itself in her hind end (she gave a little shriek, but to her dying day she denied it), and she collapsed.  Desperately, she struggled upwards, painfully aware of those ten muzzles aiming for her prone form…

                “YOSH!”

                Tenten’s head whipped around just in time to see a green blur shoot down from the sky and smack into the mech’s head, eliciting a sharp ‘CLANG,’ like a very loud knock on a sheet metal door.  The mech stumbled a little from the impact, steadied itself, and managed to find two seconds to fumble around before Lee, having rolled to a halt on the ground, leapt back up and delivered a resounding kick to the main section.

                “Oh Great Pale Beast of Metal!  I, Rock Lee, the Green Devil of the Leaf Village, challenge you!”  Back on the ground, Lee raced through the hail of bullets, straight for one of the robot’s mighty legs.  “Let us test our mettle against each other!”  He hit the leg full-force and the mech tripped up, falling over backward.  “No, Tenten!”  He called out, seeing her make a move toward them.  “This is a matter of honor!  It must be decided between robot-san and myself!”

                Is he seriously going to try to take out a mech by himself?  Tenten wondered.  Yet as she watched him turn to face the rising robot with a beaming smile, and then leap up to deliver a punch to the entry hatch, she could almost believe it.  In fact, the only thing she felt was a passing regret that she wouldn’t be able to pilot the thing.

                No matter.  Tenten hauled herself upright.  Though embarrassing, the wound in her rear was not serious, and the others in her side were not life-threatening.  They were bleeding, of course, but not enough to cause problems…

                A green wind fanned her hair in the same instant that a sharp ‘thunk’ behind her convinced her that she’d been fired at.  Ducking down immediately, she half-ran, crouched completely over, to a better vantage point, glancing back as she did so.  A green arrow was half-buried in the floor behind her.  Tenten’s eyes narrowed.  One of the Flashes must have deflected it, there was no way that guy would have missed otherwise.

                She saw him now, perched on a small outcropping about ten feet up the wall, half-hidden by the air-conditioning unit.  Even now, another green arrow was peeking out.  Throwing up her arm, Tenten loosed another explosive dart.

                It was badly off target, and the archer saw it coming long before it hit, but it still knocked him from his perch, and he landed lightly on his feet as Tenten came running up, cyborg arm at the ready.  Impressively, for someone who’d been knocked about, he already had another arrow notched (unless it was the same one) and as she ran at him he let it fly.

                Tenten was better ready for this one.  Even as he had brought it to bear on her, she’d raised her arm to match it, and as it shot forward, her laser gun opened fire.  The arrow ripped apart under the blistering salvo.

                But now she was right up against Green Arrow, and the arm was not nearly so useful.  Worse, the archer appeared to be a better-than-average taijutsu fighter.  Her other arm came up with Vigilante’s pistol, but she managed only a few shots before his hand flashed up and knocked it out of her hand.  For a moment they grappled—she tried to grab his fist with her right hand—forgot she had no right hand—missed it completely—the man’s fist shot through and smashed into her jaw, knocking a few teeth loose and slightly dazing her.  Before she could quite recover, his knee came up and into her stomach, making her double over in pain.  But as she collapsed to the ground, her other hand grabbed at the knife, and as his boot shot at her head she plunged it into his leg.

                Green Arrow roared with pain and nearly fell forward, managing to turn it into a kneel at the last moment and clutching his leg fervently.  As Tenten rose from her own position, he tried a backhanded slap, but his heart wasn’t really in it.  Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the knife and tugged it free.

                Tenten was already running.  Without her pistol or knife, she was at a disadvantage at close range like that, she needed to get some room between her and the archer.  She zig-zagged through Naruto’s clones, well-aware of the prowess of her opponent.  A number of clones poofed out of existence disturbingly close to her.  If she could just get the right amount of distance…

                Something struck her in the middle of the back, and pain erupted throughout her body.  Her body simply folded in on itself until she became a quivering mass of pain on the floor.  Her breath came in panting gasps and her vision swam.

                But she was alive.  How the heck was she still alive?  A direct hit like that should have killed her, the arrow should have punctured her straight through. 

Come to think of it, where was the arrow?

Fighting against the already-subsiding pain, Tenten rolled over and saw the arrow—a blunt-tipped projectile with sparks crackling from the front.

A shock arrow?  What kind of warrior used a shock arrow?

The pain was nearly gone now.  Tenten half-rose to see Green Arrow rushing toward her, drawing a new arrow to clear the clones between them.  Tenten’s right arm shot up.

Cloth tore, skin ripped, and bone cracked as lasers punched holes through Green Arrow’s left kneecap.  In mid-run he staggered, tripped, and crumpled into a heap, his arrow shooting harmlessly overhead.

As Tenten staggered to her feet, she had no time to notice the clones dispersing behind her, and barely time to turn around and catch a gloved fist right between the eyes.

               

 

* * *

 

 

                “Tenten’s down too… Don’t know who did it.  Kakashi-sama, can we maybe move a little further back?”

                Kakashi didn’t look at Ino, instead keeping his single eye fixed on the battlefield.  Just on the edge nearest them he could see Sakura, raging away with her twin axes.  “Any further and we’d be completely cut off.  I’d much rather have an avenue of retreat available, thank you.”

                There was a small noise as if Ino was about to disagree, but then she suddenly fell silent, doubtless distracted by one of the thousand thoughts she had channeling through her head.

                Kakashi wasn’t entirely sure what was going on.  First he’d nearly killed himself trying to follow Naruto to this dimension.  Then he’d arrived and nearly gotten killed again by some transforming bald guy with crazy bloodline abilities.  He’d had his Sharingan ripped out.  THEN he woke up in a hospital, surrounded by all the others and hearing Ino’s voice in his head.

                And now he was in a pitched battle, apparently against the bald guy in black armor, for some obscure reasons involving a world-control jutsu and some cosmic negotiations that Hinata had worked out somewhere.

                _The next time Naruto gets himself into trouble_ , Kakashi decided, _he can get himself out._

                It wasn’t even worth the effort of telling himself he was lying, or of reminding himself that in this case, it was KAKASHI who’d gotten him into trouble.  For the moment, Kakashi simply felt better for having made that decision.

                At least he didn’t have to hear Ino’s voice in his head anymore.  Shikamaru had regulated him to guarding Ino, which meant all his communication with her was verbal.  Surprisingly, Kakashi felt fine with obeying the orders of a chunin half his age.  Obviously Shikamaru knew a lot more about the situation than he did, and Kakashi had seen his planning abilities first hand.  And anyway he felt guard duty was the best choice for him, as without his Sharingan he didn’t feel nearly as confident.

                 He’d BETTER get that thing back after all this was over.

                A sudden movement on the edge of his vision caught his attention, and he whirled around just in time to deflect a marble-hard fist that came flying out of nowhere.  The fist was followed by a chop, and after that a leg, and then…

                Somewhere between the frenzied language of combat, Kakashi gained an impression of his attacker.  A tall woman, raven-haired, wearing a dazzling crown and a shining belt, to which was fixed a golden lasso and a glittering sword.  She wore two gleaming bracelets on her wrists.

                She also wore, which was to Kakashi’s mind MUCH more interesting, some star-spangled underwear and a skin-tight corset of some sort.

                “I don’t suppose I could ask you to dinner sometime?”

                Kakashi ducked just in time to let the fist go whistling overhead.  Though he couldn’t even tell if the woman had really heard him—her face hadn’t changed in the slightest and she’d said nothing—he decided to hold off on the introductions for the moment.  At least until she’d stopped trying to kill him.

                Again the flurried dance of attack and counter-attack.  Kakashi dodged, darted, leapt, and blocked.  The last was rather painful, for despite the woman’s build she seemed to be insanely powerful.  This world’s Tsunade, perhaps?  The dimensions were about right.

                Regardless, he had to take her out quickly.  She was too powerful, if someone else attacked Ino right now he’d be powerless to stop them.  Leaping backwards, his hands flew in a flurry of seals.  “Juha Sho!” He cried, whipping his arm in a long arc.

                A blade of pure wind crystallized along the arc, shooting at the woman, striking her straight in the stomach, shredding costume and skin alike.  Blood began to seep from the long gash in her side.

                The woman’s hand went down to the blood.  She touched it, smelt it, looked back at Kakashi, growled.

                Kakashi felt sweat drip down his face.  Ho boy.

                Without his Sharingan, Kakashi had no chance of reacting, or even seeing the attack in time.  The woman literally flew straight at him, catching him in a headlong rush and punching the air out of him.  Without even pausing she flew up, straight up into the air.

                She can fly?  Kakashi arched an eyebrow in surprise.  His hands flew in another seal.  “Kaze no Yaiba!”

                A tiny pinpoint blade of wind shot from his fingers and pierced the woman’s side, somewhere above her kidney.  With a small gasp, she let go, and Kakashi would have fallen thirty feet to his death if his arm hadn’t shot up and grabbed her by the ankle.   The fingers of his other hand moved in a seal, and his lips formed an ‘o.’  “Fuuton: Wind Release Stream!”

                Ino was back _.  Kakashi-sama, you can’t keep using elemental attacks like that!  The elements don’t respond so well here, you’ll exhaust your chakra supply!_

                Ah, so THAT was why he was feeling so spent already.  Of course, the Sharingan wasn’t draining his chakra, so that was a bonus.

                He and the woman were grappling now in mid-air, doing their best to kill the other as they glided earthward.  He’d clawed his way up from her ankle and now was fighting, tooth and nail, to keep a hold on one of her arms while remaining entwined enough to make sure he couldn’t be shaken loose.

                Kakashi was really enjoying this fight.  Pity it had to end so soon.

                Letting go of her hand but still gripping her firmly with his legs, Kakashi brought his hands together in a quick succession of seals.  “Chidori!”  With anyone else, he would have gone for the head, but with her, he went for the heart.

                Pain exploded across his vision.  His brain bounced backwards and met his skull, they were very close for a few moments before it bounced back met the other side.  Little blinking lights danced across his vision, and the Chidori on his arm flickered out of existence.  In the second that it’d taken him to form those seals, the woman had used her free hand to punch him across the face.  In retrospect, he should have seen that coming.  Would have, too, if he’d been watching her _arms_.

                Several Naruto clones broke his fall, but the cold ground still gave him a harsh welcome, knocking the wind from him and causing something to creak alarmingly in his left side.  _I’m getting too old for this_ , he decided, rising to his feet.

                The woman, also on her feet again, had drawn her sword, and the light gleamed along its edge.  With a fresh battlecry, she rushed at Kakashi.

                Kakashi’s arm flew up.  “Raiton no Yoroi!”  If elements were such a problem here, he’d better stick to his affinity.  Lightning raced along his arm just as the sword struck it, deadening the force and stopping the penetration.  The charge shot into the sword and through the handle to the woman, but she merely gritted her teeth and pressed harder.

                Kakashi was impressed.  The charge wouldn’t have been great, of course, but to not even flinch… A woman of devotion and endurance.  Perhaps…

                Almost faster than he could follow, the woman’s sword whipped away.  Her leg flashed out in a leftward strike.  Kakashi managed to catch it, but the pure power behind the strike knocked him off his feet and far across the floor. 

                Still lying on the floor, Kakashi observed the electricity from his lightning armor disperse into the metal flooring.  Interesting…

                A fresh roar made him look up.  The woman was charging at him again, sword upraised.  Without so much as rising, Kakashi made a few seals and raised his head.  “Raiton:  Kaminari Shibari.”

                Three walls of pure lightning crackled  upwards from the floor and formed a hedge around the woman.  She ran face first into the foremost, sprang back from the shock, glared at the wall, and started to attack it with her sword.

                Kakashi didn’t intend to see if that would work.  Picking up a loose hunk of metal from the floor, he carefully sounded its weight and hurled it, straight through the electric wall, at the woman’s forehead. 

It struck her directly between the eyes.  For a moment her body stiffened, and then it loosened all over and collapsed to the ground.

Kakashi walked over to Ino.  “Let’s hope we don’t have any more interruptions like that, eh?”

Snapping out of her telepathic-induced daze, Ino stared at him.  “I’m sorry, Kakashi-sama, did you want me for something?”

Kakashi sighed.

 

 

 

* * *

 

                _Hinata, we’re cutting it pretty close!  Naruto and Sasuke are closing in, now do you want to relay that stuff about the Kyuubi again?_

                There was a warmth flowing through Hinata, the warmth of power that she had felt when calming Raven, teleporting Naruto, healing Ino.  It was a part of her, flowed through her, and shot out, white-hot, at her fingertips.  She saw it leave behind burning symbols like brands on Blue Devil’s skin as she punched her way through him, leaving him unconscious on the ground.  She saw—or rather felt—it repel the force of Zatanna’s magic as spell after spell was hurled at her.  Hinata felt a sudden rush of power and watched, astonished, as Zatanna slumped to the ground absolutely drained.  Her moves were simply Gentle Fist moves, their effects came from an almost instinctive use of the power flowing through her.  Somehow, she KNEW how to direct the warmth, how to make it shield, sear, sap, or suppress.  It wasn’t directed by her body, it wasn’t even completely directed by her mind.  But she was in control.  She could feel it.

                Hinata had never felt such power.  It thrilled her.  And it _scared_ her.

                She’d clocked Blue Devil in three hits.  Zatanna had only taken one.  Shining Knight had dodged enough to be difficult, but even so, one punch and a light jab had been enough to send him over.

                How was she supposed to handle this?

                It wasn’t a question of the power running amok, Hinata reflected as she deflected two laser blasts with a momentary spin and knocked over the man in black armor.  This power was too firmly under her grasp.  No, it was a question of HER running amok.  Spectre had been very clear, it was HER wishes and desires that had nearly banished Kyuubi the last time.  What would happen if she let it get to her again?

                _HINATA!_

                Instantly Hinata snapped out of her trance _.  Right.  Let me see.  I think Naruto needs to hit him with a Rasengan of some kind…_

_A rasengan?  That’s it?_

_No, no… it’s a special kind of Rasengan… he needs to work with Kyuubi to get it right.  It’s not a big blast, not like a tailed beast bomb or anything, but it’s… Look, let me switch you over to Spectre._

                Now there was a new sensation running over her.  No longer an invigorating warmth, but now a burning fierceness, an almost overpowering heat that threatened to drown her mind.  Pushing it back, she focused entirely on the battle, almost not hearing what she was telling Ino.

                The Spectre was actually the only one who knew how to deliver the Kyuubi to Luthor.  Well, presumably the Kyuubi knew too, but Naruto didn’t understand him very well.  So in order for this to work, he had to transmit the method, through Hinata, through Ino, directly to Naruto.  Supervised, hopefully, by Shikamaru, who would analyze the technique and figure out how best to administer it. 

                It was an intricate business, and deep inside Hinata was glad she didn’t understand it.  Otherwise she’d be worrying too hard about getting it right, and not enough about staying alive.  And while that had gotten significantly easier with Spectre’s power, it still wasn’t a guarantee.

                A few punches carried her through a man in a voluminous red overcoat.  He looked pretty old—Hinata hoped that she hadn’t hurt him too badly.  Just behind him was a woman, glowing with green fire.  She appeared to be focused on Sakura, and hadn’t noticed Hinata, so it was relatively easy to close the distance and knock her down with a few strokes.  Another woman, clad in blue with spiky white hair, dived at her and shot an ice-laden fist at her.  It connected—apparently the shield didn’t stop physical objects so much—but Hinata had avoided the main force of the blow and she pushed through the ringing headache to deliver two sharp chops to either side of the woman’s head.  She went down too.

                Spectre’s heat was fading, Naruto must have gotten the hang of the Kyuubi thing.  Secretly, Hinata felt deeply relieved.  Despite all his help, she still felt slightly afraid of the Spectre, and she couldn’t help but feel that if he got full possession of her again, it’d be all over for Naruto.

                _I will never use him again._   She thought determinedly.  _I shall never channel his spirit.  What I do here, I do with the power he gave ME_.  A fine line, perhaps, but Hinata felt all the better for drawing it.

                Who was this lady now, dressed all in pink and violet with a glimmering jewel on her forehead?  Hinata lashed out with a ready strike…

                …and met nothing but air.  The woman glided away from her, a smile on her taunting lips as she floated merely a foot above the ground.

                Okay, so she could fly.  Not a major problem, so long as she didn’t go too high.  Taking merely a second to compose herself, Hinata set herself in a battle posture and dashed forward.

                Strike.  Miss.  Strike.  Miss.  Strike…

                It hit, it went home, but there was none of the flowing warmth of before.  There was no brand on the woman’s skin, no visible mark.  There was only a purple energy that crackled under Hinata’s hand.   Looking up in consternation, Hinata saw the woman smirk at her.

                A wave of purple energy blew Hinata backwards, sending her tumbling into the mob.  A Naruto clone caught her, but even as she started to rush back, the woman unleashed a blistering salvo of purple bolts.  Apparently these were not magical, for several shot through her shield and buried themselves in her arm.  Suppressing a cry, she broke into a Kaiten spin, deflecting the rest as she continued her onward rush.  For a moment she felt the purple energy try to seize her bodily, but apparently it couldn’t make it past the wave of chakra.

                Hinata had neither the skill nor the endurance of her cousin, and even this incomplete version of the Kaiten had been hard-earned.  But it held together long enough for her to come straight up to the woman and explode outwards in a strike.  “Four palms!”  She shouted.  “Eight palms!  Sixtee…”

                Her sixteenth strike fell on open air, as her Byakugan revealed the woman shooting away from her, far up into the air, far beyond Hinata’s reach.  She was wincing and clutching her left side, so apparently some of Hinata’s strikes had gone through, but she was still alive.  And very, VERY mad.

                A hail of purple bolts fell from above, augmented by the occasional full-on laser blast.  Hinata wove, dodged, and spun, but she couldn’t avoid them all.  Several struck her heavily in the side, knocking her back as if punched.  Another just barely avoided hitting her full in the face, and left a nasty slash across her forehead.  Blood leaked down, making vision difficult.

                Suddenly the woman’s expression grew oddly vacant.  She whirled around in mid-air and began to speed off, already firing at another, far-distant locale.

                _Everyone!  Naruto and Sasuke have almost got him!  He’s calling in all the others to converge on him, DON’T LET THEM GET THERE!  STOP THEM!_

                Naruto.  That woman was headed for Naruto…

                Hinata’s feet flew over the ground.  She leapt into the air, far higher, far faster, far longer than her muscles had any right to leap.  And as she bore down on the startled woman, there was just the faintest suggestion of wings protruding from her back…

                “ _Juuho Soshiken_!”

                Hinata landed, essentially on top of the unconscious woman, and took a moment to catch her breath.  Despite her Byakugan, she didn’t notice or even sense the caped figure before two black gloves came out of nowhere and dealt her a few sharp raps in strategic places.

                Hinata slumped to the floor, unconscious.

 

 

              

* * *

 

                _Dangit, Hinata’s down now too!  Who’s doing all this?_

                “Batman-sensei!”

                The dark, caped figure rose from Hinata’s body and turned to face him.  Lee experienced a momentary doubt as to whether he’d even really heard him—nearly all the Leaguers were fighting in complete silence—but put the question aside.  Right now, he had a teacher to contend with.

                “Batman-sensei, I must apologize, but I cannot allow you to bring harm to my…”

                The crimefighter had started to charge before he even finished.  He swung out with his left fist, but Lee practically blurred aside, striking Batman two heavy blows on the back. 

                “…precious people, Batman-sensei.  I regret that…”

Instead of falling, the hero caught himself with his hands and used the opportunity to lash out with his feet at Lee.  The move caught him off guard, but still his greater speed told.

“…that—AH—that things have come to this pass, but surely you must agree…”

Lee dashed in front as Batman started to rise to his feet and delivered a full roundhouse kick to his midsection, sending him flying.

“…that unfortunate circumstances dictate it.  I can only hope—AGH!”

Batman half-rose and threw out two batarangs.  Lee ducked, but they exploded right overhead, and the concussive force knocked him flat to the ground.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see black boots running forward, smoke billowing on either side of him as he almost casually disposed of the dozen Naruto clones trying to block his way.

But Lee bounced up immediately and met his charge with an uppercut.  “I can only hope that we shall be firm comrades once you are no longer brainwashed, and that some day we will look back on this and laugh!”

Lee deeply regretted the lack of training in this fight.  That is… Batman-sensei’s moves were as devious and varied as ever, but Lee, at full speed, could barely profit from the experience they offered.  Lee was, of course, still wearing his suit—he had been wearing it when he was captured, and they had not removed it—but it had been powered down for some unimaginable reason, and he was moving at full speed.  On one level, Lee felt fine about this, after all, ‘saving the world’ filled the requirements for taking off his weights, and he didn’t often get the chance to fight at full speed.  But on another level, he deeply regretted the lost opportunity to train.

Lee, we could use you at the main fight!  Things are getting hairy!

“Yosh.”  Lee nodded.  There was no need to drag this out.  He would finish it quickly.  Allowing himself a quick bow, he said, “Forgive me, Batman sensei,” and charged.

Somewhere in the two seconds it took him to reach Batman, the crimefighter’s hand flew to his belt and pressed something.

Suddenly Lee’s joints froze, his muscles straining in vain.  Unable to stop his forward momentum but helpless to prevent his fall, Lee tripped and face-planted on the metal floor, sliding along a considerable distance before coming to rest at Batman’s feet.  Turning his head, he saw a dark smile spread across the man’s face as he held up a small black box.

The remote control for his suit…

Batman’s powerful foot planted itself in his midsection.  He didn’t go flying, Batman hadn’t kicked him at that sort of angle, but the force of the kick went right through him and he felt pain erupt across his chest.  Again and again and again Batman kicked him as he lay there, helpless on the floor.  The pain spread and spread and grew more intense.  Lee felt certain something had cracked in there.  Batman’s foot reared back once more…

Lee’s arm inched upwards and deflected it.  Not by much, but enough to deaden the blow and send it just grazing off the side.  The next kick went for his moving hand, but his fingers managed to twist around and grab the boot, knocking Batman off balance.  Slowly, precariously, under constant bombardment from Batman’s fists and feet, Lee fought his way upwards.

It felt like swimming in concrete, or more properly FIGHTING in concrete.  Lee’s suit was maxed out on resistance, which on any other human would have caused them to freeze like a statue, but Lee clawed his way onward, refusing to acknowledge the hundreds of blows dashed past his painfully slow defense.

 _Naruto is depending on me._   He thought to himself. _Sakura is depending on me.  Batman-sensei himself is depending on me.  This is merely another challenge, merely another obstacle.  I will defeat Batman-sensei in this fashion, and if I cannot do that…_

A powerful elbow planted itself in his chest, and the sickening crack it elucidated made the pain explode all over again.  Lee collapsed backwards, gasping, his vision fading in and out.

 _…I will die._   He realized.

Batman’s caped form loomed over him.  It raised a single boot over his face, preparing to plunge down and into his skull…

“Yeeeeeehaaw!”

Lee’s vision turned slightly yellow for a moment and Batman’s boot was gone.  Struggling, the chunin managed to roll over and study the scene.

Batman was surrounded by a whirlwind of furious yellow etched with red.  Invisible forces knocked him backwards, forwards, upwards… every conceivable direction.  The crimefighter himself seemed to be doing little more than shadow-boxing.    Yet even as Lee watched, the man’s hand crept to his belt.

“Look out, oh youthful Flash!” cried Lee in alarm.

Too late.  A pellet crashed to the ground, and the yellow blur solidified into a bullet that stumbled over and collapsed on the ground to become a completely helpless Kid Flash, totally ensnared in the gummy clutches of some indefinable material.

But Kid Flash was grinning, and as Batman advanced on him, he flashed something at Lee—a small black box.

_Is that…_

The resistance vanished from Lee’s joints.  After the earlier restraint, this sensation felt like a sudden weightlessness, and power surged through Lee’s entire being.

Ignoring the pain raging in his chest, Lee flew upwards and dashed at Batman.  “Primary Lotus!”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                _Hang on you guys!  Lee’s on his way over.  He’s pretty banged up, but he should be able to help!_

                “He’d better,” muttered Naruto, whipping away from a fist that smashed through the floor.

                “ **What was that, mortal?”**   Two burning red eyes regarded him.  “ **I do not think I heard you.  Who are you talking to?”**

                Naruto  leapt over the creature’s powerful right hook, aiming a Rasengan at his face.  “You, ugly, and I said: ‘Screw you!’”

                “Mature,” muttered Sasuke, ducking as Naruto went flying over his shoulder and into a full-court-press of Naruto clones.

                “I don’t hear YOU providing any witty repartee.”  Naruto shot back, rejoining the battle.  Luthseid sent several huge chunks of floor flying at him and he batted them aside.

                Dodging around the flying chunks, Sasuke grunted: “I wasn’t aware witty repartee was so important in this battle.”

                “Of course it is!  C’mon, man, standard superhero training.  You need snappy one-liners!”

                “I am not a superhero.  Nor are you.”

                Naruto rolled his eyes.  “Whatever.”   Whipping under Darkthor’s  punch, he delivered a full Sage-Power kick to the giant’s midsection.  The huge man stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance and making an unsuccessful swipe at Naruto.

                “Damnit!”  Naruto hissed, and then rolled away from a few I-Beams.

                Although Naruto and Sasuke’s talk was innocent enough, their Ino-linked thoughts were a whole another story.

                _Sasuke, distract him or something!  I need time to get that… Kyuubi-Rasengan thing together!_

_Distract him?  How?  The one Sharingan I DO have is half-blind, I can barely use any of my Mangekyou techniques without blacking out._

_Oh what, you’re saying that makes you helpless?  C’mon, you got more techniques than just that!_

_True.  I do not, however, have absolute invulnerability to blows, like some people._

_Hey, this invulnerability ain’t absolute, whatever else you’re thinking.  It’s good, but let me tell you, it HURTS when that guy hits you._

                A new voice broke in.  _Guys, maybe you should…_

 _LET US HANDLE THIS._   Both minds replied.

_No offense, Shikamaru, but tactical genius or not, we know each other’s fighting styles better than anyone.  Just leave it to us, it’ll work._

                There was a short silence as both rushed from opposite directions.  Naruto got batted away, Sasuke whipped around the punch and leapt back, just barely escaping dismemberment.

                _I have one jutsu that may distract him for a while,_ Sasuke admitted.  _But it relies on the weather to generate electricity, and Luthor controls the weather._

_Electricity?  Dude, we’re in a BUILDING!  There’s electricity running through all the walls, there’s a freaking REACTOR down there!_

_It’ll take me some time to collect it._

                _Fine!_

                Naruto and Sasuke charged Darkthor again, one behind the other.  Naruto caught Darkthor’s left fist with both hands and held it there.  The right fist came down, thirty clones leapt into place and grabbed hold of it. Sasuke leapt over the whole collection, far over Darkthor’s arms and slashed downwards at the giant’s helmet.  The sword of Kusanagi sprang back ringing from Darkthor’s armor, but there was just the faintest crack in that black surface, and purplish blood was oozing forth.

                **“How DARE you!”** Wrenching his arms away from the Naruto-deadlock, Darkthor lashed out with one enormous arm and just barely grazed Sasuke as he leapt back.  The blow sent him careening backwards in a red blur, into the floor, leaving behind a tangled trough of metal before he collapsed in a pile, several feet away.

                But Naruto had not wasted time.  The second that Darkthor had wrenched his hand away, he’d dashed straight at the creature, followed by as many of his clones as could fit.  “Sage Art: Giant Rasengan!”  He cried, thrusting his hand forward.

                The giant globe of chakra hit.  It burrowed into Darkthor, its full concussive force coming to bear upon the monster.  Power that would knock over a building bore into the ruler of Apokolips.

                And Darkthor’s feet left the ground.

                He didn’t fly backwards.  He barely even tumbled over.  But he did fall, straight on his back, and in the second he did, thousands of Narutos  were leaping onto him, piling high, grabbing onto his arms and legs and even onto those who were holding his arms and legs…

                **“ENOUGH!”**

                Several thousand clones dispersed in a blast of pure concussive force, and through the wafting smoke of their disintegration, Darkthor strode, eyes burning with anger.  **“You cease to amuse me, mortal!”**   He shouted at Naruto.  **“Prepare yourself to meet oblivion!”**

He and Naruto ran at each other.  Naruto whipped away from his first punch, but as he was avoiding the second Darkthor’s hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed hold of his head, smashing it into the ground.  Dazed, Naruto had neither the strength nor the sensibility to react as Darkthor lifted his body high in the air before bringing it down to meet his mighty knee.

                Naruto felt as though he’d been torn in half.  His spine was there, he felt sure—he hardly could imagine how he could be feeling so much pain if it wasn’t—but it’d had a few years taken off of it, and the nearly all the organs in his middle region had been pushed into uncomfortable and unnatural places.  Dimly he realized that Darkseid was holding him by the hair, at arm’s length.

 **“Do you wish to beg for mercy, lowly…”**   He paused.  There was a curious rumbling sound throughout the building.

                In the far back, Sasuke, bleeding and bruised but still very alive, rose up, fingers raised in a seal.  “Kirin!” he announced.

                A dragon of pure lightning burst from the earth, swallowing Darkthor in its gullet.  It shot straight up to the ceiling and crashed down again, dispersing the charge through the surrounding floor and dispelling all the clones within a fifty-foot radius.

                And in the middle stood Darkthor, his already grey face appearing singed, and his armor badly charred in spots, but his eyes glowing more than ever.  “ **You shall pay for that indignity, Mortal.”**

                A beam of pure destructive force shot from Darkthor’s eyes.  Sasuke whipped away, but it followed his motion, followed his every move with pinpoint accuracy as he dashed over the floor, up the wall and across part of the ceiling, back and forth after his zigzagging leaps down, back across his erratic trail across the floor, back to Darkthor himself, between his arms, under his legs, over his head…

                The arm of Darkthor flashed out and smashed Sasuke as he flew overhead, sending him crashing back into the floor.  The Omega Effect Beams followed with deadly speed…

                A red blur passed the space with Sasuke and he was gone, leaving a rather confused-looking clone in his wake.  “Hey, what…”  It started, before the beams struck him full in the chest and he exploded into smoke.

                Turning, Darkthor frowned at the red blur, and without warning, the ground erupted underneath him.  Off-guard and off-balance, Flash went spinning into the air, and before he could land or even spin his arms to alter his trajectory, an enormous slab of wall struck him full force, smashing him and Sasuke into the ground.

                “Hey Ugly!”

                Darkseid turned to regard a bruised, bleeding, badly strained and somewhat homicidal-looking Naruto, clutching a strange red Rasengan.

                “Screw you!”

                And Naruto dashed over the floor, between Darkthor’s grasping hands, raising the Rasengan to strike him full in the chest…

                And Darkthor vanished.  No poof, no blink, no giant explosion, he was simply not there, and Naruto, unbalanced, tripped and fell onto the floor, sending the reddish globe smashing into the metal, where it died with a disappointingly small crackle of energy.

                As Naruto lay there, a long, jagged shadow grew over him, getting larger and larger.  Turning, Naruto beheld the monstrosity that blocked out the light and groaned.  “Not this guy again.”

                “You… know him?” managed Sasuke, crawling from underneath the collapsed wall.

                “He’s called Doomsday.”  Naruto explained, gazing with resigned calm at the grinning monster.  “Took me forever to beat.”

                Sasuke snorted.  “The two of us should manage it rather better, I feel.”

                “Oh, I’m not so worried about him.”  Naruto gestured at the crowd growing behind the first monster.  “I’m worried about his five thousand brothers.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “That’s a lot of those Doomsday things,” observed Shikamaru coolly.  “Supposed to replace your avatar, I guess.  Does that mean that your power is roughly equivalent to a couple thousand Doomsdays?”

                **“It is far beyond that, mortal,”** rumbled Darkthor.  **“Observe how I can not only command that power, but even create it.  Even now, were I to wish it, the very ground itself would rise and swallow your ninja friends.”**

                “So why don’t you?” 

                **“Amusement, Mr. Nara.  Amusement.  Killing them that way would be so easy, so fast, so boring.  I have an eternity ahead of me, it seems I should make use of the few amusements left to me while they still exist.”**

                Shikamaru watched idly as the Doomsdays charged at the ninjas.   “Oh, those things can fly.  That’s cool.”

                A chuckle broke loose from his enormous companion.  **“And did you enjoy your part of the amusement, Mr. Nara?”**

                “You mean just sitting here with you while your double and all those hero people fooled around down below?  Can’t say I did.  I mean, the part where my friend clocked your double was satisfying and all, but outside of that… Action movies bore me at the best of times.”

                “True, but this was not a movie for you, was it, Mr. Nara?  It was a game.”

                “What are you talking about?”  Shikamaru wrinkled his brow in carefully studied confusion.  “You turned down my offer of a chess game.”

                “ **But you played one nonetheless, Mr. Nara.  Do you think I did not notice how silently you sat there all through the battle, how eagerly you watched their motions, how deep in thought you were?  Do you think I cannot recognize the strategy of an opponent I have played for months now**?”  Darkthor stepped toward the imprisoned Nara, smiling down from his impressive height.  **“I do not know how you accomplished it, mortal, but I must say I have enjoyed our game—while it lasted.  Alas, you have overlooked one thing.  In this game, I am not only the King and the Player, but also the Board, the Rulebook, and the Judge.”**   Darkthor turned back to face the battle, looking down at the embattled ninjas from his strange balcony, floating invisibly to all eyes save his and Shikamaru’s.  **“The engagement is fought on my terms, and it will end on my terms.  Now watch, as your pawns and mine tear each other apart.**

                Shikamaru let out a long sigh.  “You always were good with pawns.”  He admitted ruefully. 

                An exploding of ripping metal—a break in the outer wall—a red-and-blue stream of scorching wind as it raced past Shikamaru and smashed into Darkthor—a whirlwind of grayish shapes as Doomsday clones were tossed aside—a gathering roar as Darkthor, still in Superman’s clutches, readied his power…

                “Myself,” remarked Shikamaru, smirking as the two figures shot straight at a suddenly-exposed Naruto and the glowing red Rasengan in his hand.  “Myself, I always liked knights.”

                The Rasengan went home.

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Shikamaru!”

                Sai’s ink bird caught the chunin halfway to the ground, and gracefully coasted him to a landing.  Hopping off, Shikamaru managed all of three steps before his friends fell on him.

                “Shika-man!”

                “Oh, you’re ALIVE!  Oh, for so long we didn’t know…”

                “It is agreeable to see that you are performing so well.”

                “Dude, you are a freaking genius, have I ever told you that?”

                “Yosh!”

                “Shikamaru!”  This last came from a pink-haired medic who came hopping through the hole Superman had just made.  “It worked!”

                “Yeah, I picked up on that,” drawled the chunin.  “What with all the Doomsday people disappearing and these hero people finally waking up.”

                Indeed, the army of grey monsters had vanished into thin air, and all around the hall, heroes were picking themselves up from the floor or just gazing about in obvious bewilderment.  A groaning Batman rose and, supported by Flash, moved over the floor to release Kid Flash.  A normal-sized Atom Smasher ran in through the door, carrying a limp Chouji.  Gai and Green Lantern, supporting each other, stumbled  over to the growing crowd.  Wonder Woman, just coming back to life, caught sight of Kakashi’s eye and glared.

                Superman floated over to Shikamaru, landing as the ninjas made way for him.  “So you’re Shikamaru.”  He smiled before growing serious.  “Thanks for the intel on how to find Luthor.”

                Shikamaru shrugged.  “Ino gave it to you.”  A cloud of worry passed over his face.  “Hey, how is Ino?”

                “M’fine.”  Ino nodded, coming forward, supported by Tenten.  “Really tired, and probably going to have headaches for the next week, but I’m okay.”

                “And thank you, too, for providing the link up.”  Superman nodded to her.  “I’m not sure what we would have done otherwise.”

                Ino blushed a little.  “J’onn-sensei could have…”

                “I was busy enough, Ino-san.”  Sakura, bearing both her axes, stepped through the ranks and smiled at Ino.  “And the ninjas listened better to you.”

                “Wait.  Hold on.”  Kiba glanced from the axe-carrying Sakura to the one with the medic pack at Chouji’s side.  “How did… what… is that a shadow clone, Sakura?”

                Medic-Sakura ignored him, staring with fascination at Axe-Sakura.  “Is my forehead really that big?”

                “I may have overdone it,” admitted Axe-Sakura, forehead heightening and shading to green as its body lengthened out.  “I must confess I was not absolutely certain what you looked like.”

                “J’onn shifted to Sakura’s form,” Shikamaru explained to Kiba.  “Couldn’t risk Luthor noticing she was missing, so the Flashes replaced her with him.”

                “Oh.”  Kiba looked a little embarrassed.  “So… where were you, Sakura?”

                “Flash took me—and Karin—“ with a nod to the hole, where a red-haired medic could be seem clambering down, “—to where Superman was being kept.  We extracted the Kryptonite bullet so he could join in like this.”

                “Except it had to wait until it would be decisive.”  Shikamaru nodded.  “Otherwise Luthor could simply have brainwashed HIM and turned him loose on you guys.  That wouldn’t have helped at all.  Though I must say you girls took your time.”

                Karin, just joining the group, shrugged.  “That bullet was pretty deep.  Neither of us had any kind of surgery kit on hand, and chakra techniques only go so far.”

                “In any case, it worked,” said Superman, quieting all other voices.  “Your plan worked beautifully, Mr. Nara. Thank you.”

                Shikamaru accepted the thanks with a nod.  “Yeah, right.  Still…” he shrugged himself upright.  “One thing left to take care of.”  Pushing his way through the ninjas, he called back:  “Tenten, do you have a…?”

                Tenten looked momentarily puzzled, then, face clearing, reached into her pouch and tossed him a kunai.

                Catching it with a little nod of thanks, Shikamaru turned to face the prone form of Luthor, lying collapsed on the ground.  Luthor had reverted to his fully human state, and even the armor of Darkseid had disappeared, leaving him half-naked on the floor of the room.

                With a little flourish, Shikamaru whipped up the kunai and plunged down…

                …straight into Superman’s hand.  The chunin looked up placidly to regard the superhero’s cold eyes.  “Sorry.  Did you want to do it?”

                Superman’s hand  closed around the kunai, crunching it into a little ball of metal before tossing it over his shoulder.  “We don’t kill.”

                Shikamaru blinked.  “Hmm?”

                “Superman-san…” Neji stepped forward with a little sigh of frustration. “…surely in this case…”

                “No.  He’s still a human.”  He turned to Naruto.  “That attack you gave him stripped him of his powers, didn’t it?”  Receiving only a shrug, he turned back to face Neji.  “We’ll put him in the League cells.  We’re not executioners.”

                “But we are.”  Neji shrugged.

                “What course of action will you pursue should Luthor regain his powers?”  Shino came forward, his unblinking sunglasses staring at the Man of Steel.  “Or even if he does not?  I recall being told that he has nearly destroyed the world once or twice.  Do you wish to wait until he does?”

                “Last time, he was what saved the world,” glared Superman.  “Where would we have been if we’d killed him before then?”

                Neji snorted.  “Saving the world through some other means, I imagine.”

                “Also, was he not the one who touched off that particular apocalypse?”  Shino again.

                “That’s not the point!  The point is that…”  Superman sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Look, I’m not saying Luthor’s a good person, or even that he’s capable of being good.  He’s not, I’ve known him too long to try and say that.  And there are occasions when I’ve wished he was dead.  To be honest, if he’d just died in the middle of this battle, I’d have felt a little relieved.”

                Batman, standing just to the left of Superman, said nothing.  He seemed to be considering something.

                “But since he DIDN’T die, and he IS alive, that means his life is in our hands, and that means we’re to respect it.  It’s what makes us different from them.”

                “No.”  Neji gestured at the body.  “What makes us different is that he kills innocents for fun.  We kill our enemies to protect our friends.”

                “Much different,” nodded Tenten, coming up alongside Neji.  Her arm was open and charging.

                “He’s not worth your contempt.”  This from Green Lantern, just to the side.

                Neji shrugged.  “We’re generous.”

                “This is a waste of time.”  Sasuke’s voice cut into the silence.  Shoving Naruto aside, he stepped forward and locked eyes with Superman.  “It’s no concern of mine if you want to manage your world this way, but I have a private matter to settle with this man.  Now stand aside.”

                Superman’s gaze was cold.  “No.”

                SAsuke shrugged, then quick as sight, whipped out Kusanagi and slashed downward.  Superman’s hand flashed out to meet it, but the magic blade simply carved a slash across his palm and continued on.

                There was a sharp _clang_ as it met another sword.

                Sasuke’s eyes rose to meet those of Wonder Woman.  She glared back.  “Stand down, or I shall make you.”

                “I should like to see you try, _yariman_ ,” hissed Sasuke in return.

                Wonder Woman and Sasuke were watching each other.  Superman and Neji had their gazes locked.  Everyone else in the room was staring at them.

                Which is why Naruto was the only one who saw Luthor’s eyes crack open and look straight at Superman.

                “LOOK OUT!”  Naruto dashed forward, unheeding of the tension, and cannoned straight into Superman with all his Sage Mode might, knocking the Man of Steel out of harm’s way. 

                And leaving Naruto straight in its path.

                A light arose in Luthor’s eyes, it flashed, for a second there was a brilliant bridge of light between he and Naruto, and then both collapsed.  But as Naruto’s eyes closed, they glowed red.

 

 

* * *

 

                All the world seemed frozen to Hinata.  She saw again Naruto’s leap, the surprise from everyone else, the slow dawning comprehension of horror, and the flash of light between the two.  She saw it all… and KNEW what it was.

                “What the heck just happened?”  Flash’s voice broke the spell.

                Batman hunched over Naruto’s form.  “Looked like some sort of transfer…”

                “A soul transfer.”  All eyes turned to Sasuke, who had momentarily withdrawn his blade.  He looked up to meet their gaze.  “Luthor’s transferred his consciousness to Naruto.  He told me he could do that.  We need to kill him before he wakes up.”

                “What!?”  Sakura stepped forward.  “Like hell you are.”

                “That’s an awfully convenient story, Sasuke,” snarled Kiba.  “Funny how you remembered it just now, huh?  I’ll bet…”

                Hinata couldn’t stand it.  “He’s telling the truth!”  She all but screamed.  The others started back from her, surprised.  “He’s telling the truth,” repeated she in a quieter tone.  “Spectre told me about it too.  It’s how we convinced Kyuubi to help, he figured Luthor would be a more troublesome host.”

                “So Luthor gains control of the Kyuubi as well as Naruto.”  Batman mused. 

                “He gets all of Naruto’s powers.  The Kyuubi among them.”  Fighting down the rising fear in her chest, Hinata continued: “Kyuubi thought that Luthor would attain even greater control than Naruto had.”

                “So he has even more power now.”  Green Lantern brought up his ring, charging his shield.

                Hinata shook her head.  “Not yet.  The transfer leaves him weak and vulnerable.  But he will, once he’s recovered.”

                “That means we have to strike now.”  Sasuke gestured with his sword.  “Before he recovers.”

                Superman materialized in front of Sasuke.  “Nobody’s killing anyone.  Thought we made that clear.”

                “We… may not have a choice,” said Shino slowly.

                “Hold it, hold it.”  Shikamaru held up his hands to forestall the uproar at Shino’s comment.  Let’s all just calm down now… let me think.  Let me… there’s got to be a solution to this.  Just… give me a moment…”

                “We don’t have a moment.  We need to act now.”  Sasuke’s stance shifted slightly, his hand gripped his sword slightly tighter.

                “Wait.”  Suddenly everything became clear to Hinata.  Pushing her way through the crowd, she ran to Naruto’s side.  “Wait just a bit.”  She knelt down and stared at the blonde gein.  “Let me… try something.”

                The warmth arose in Hinata, it filled her, flowed through her fingers, eyes, mouth.  She grasped at the power, drawing it together and collecting it, not in her head, not in her heart, but in the very center of her being.  The warmth grew greater and greater, and she could feel the fierce heat of the Spectre beating down on her.

_**Child, you cannot do this alone.**_

_I will not use your power.  Not again, and definitely not on Naruto._

_**It is beyond your strength.**_

_You told me once that you had given me the power to rip out souls and banish them._

_**I said that the strain would kill you.  You must let me do this with you.**_

                _No…_ thought Hinata, as she pushed back the overpowering heat of the angel and brought her own strength to bear. _I will do this alone._

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Warmth, melodic warmth like a pillow of singing feathers.  Another, more alien, this also warm, but a sharper one, more defiant.  They touched….

                The heat of this one was fierce, yet fragile, a tune that hovered on the brink between joy and despair.  The underlying darkness highlighted the joyful  weave of light that kept it from the abyss, but it was so tenuous, kept up only by the sheer energy of its song.

                But something in this melody was wrong, one of the lights did not blend, there was a coldness in the midst of the heat.  The melodic warmth fastened onto it, examined it—a atonal collection of numbers that danced around a chanting darkness.  It was all one, all together, all focused…  It took other tunes and overpowered them, it suffocated all heat with its chill.

                This was it.

                The warmth met with the chill, they grappled.  Sucking, sapping drain like the pull of darkness on a forgotten corner.  Strong, flowing music, irresistible as the river.  The drain of heat, so fast, so sudden that it the cold came with a gasp, with a burning all its own, yet still the warmth preserved, still it battered against the chill, gripping the darkness with fingers of light.  Excruciating pain as she pushed it beyond, outside, to the great silence of Beyond…

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey kiddo.”

                Hinata blinked about and sat up.  She was back in the main chamber, still ruined from the ninjas’ and heroes’ battle.  Tentatively she felt her head and chest.  “Wow.”  She whispered.  “Oh wow.  How did I… I thought I was dead…”

                “You thought that, huh?”

                Hinata half-turned to face the woman who’d spoken.  “Well, the Spectre said I wouldn’t be able to do that alone without using up all my energy, and I… I…”  her voice faltered as she took a closer look at the woman.

 

                She was beautiful.  Undeniably, changelessly beautiful.  Oh, she was dressed plainly enough—black jeans below a too-large black hooded sweatshirt—but that did nothing to hide the quiet elegance of her body or her face.  Hair the color of midnight waved about a perfectly pale face, in which was set a pert little mouth and two eyes that sparkled with dark mischief.  A strange marking was tattooed beneath her left eye, and she was tugging, absentmindedly, on a golden ankh that hung about her neck.

                And Hinata knew, just from looking at her, who she was.

                “I’m dead, aren’t I.”  She said in a small voice.

                 “There, there, sweetie,” said Death, bending down with a smile.  “You thought so, didn’t you?  I always tell people to go with their first instincts on these things.  Not many people get to choose how they go.  And let me tell you, you went out with style.”

                It seemed appropriate to cry, but somehow Hinata couldn’t.  She looked up at the woman with curiosity.  “I didn’t expect you to… be like this.”

                “Yeah, most people don’t,” shrugged the girl.  “I used to try to dress up to people’s expectations but that got old real fast.  And a lot of people are kinda disappointed to meet EXACTLY what they were expecting when I show up.  Takes a lot of the fun out of dying, I guess.”

                She and Hinata spent a quiet moment looking at her body, lifeless on the floor.  “Did it… work?” asked Hinata tentatively.  “Did I… banish Luthor?”

                Death smiled a sweet smile.  “Oh, no, I can’t tell you that.”

                “Why not?”

                “Against the rules.  Besides, does it really matter?”

                It should.  Hinata could remember, academically, that it was dreadfully important.  Saving Naruto and the world and… stuff.  But, well, she was dead now.  And with a strange clarity, she saw that eventually so would be Naruto and the others and basically the whole world of people, whether they'd saved them or not.  Dead... but it was so strange, death! So inconsequential, in the light of...

She shrugged.  “I suppose not.” 

                “That’s my girl,” grinned Death.  “You’ve got a good sense of perspective on you; most people I take need a few moments to come to terms with it.  Amazing, huh?  Viewing things from here makes things look a whole lot different.  It’s one of the most therapeutic things I know.”

                “What else DO you know?” Hinata wasn’t looking at the scenery, so she didn’t notice how the chamber faded away to perfect whiteness.

                Death smiled.  “You’d be surprised, honey.  You’d be surprised.”  She heaved a breath.  “Well.  Time to go.  Do you want…”

                “Excuse me.”

                Hinata and Death both turned, and there, walking out of the whiteness, was a man in a green trenchcoat, his flaming red hair brilliant against the light.

                “Uriel!”  Death spread her arms in welcome.  “How’s my favorite avenging angel?  Come to see your little friend off?”

                “Actually, I was hoping to negotiate with you.”

                “Negotiate?”  Death quirked an eyebrow.  “C’mon, Uriel, you know the rules.  You don’t deal with Death.  There’s no negotiations, no compromises.  No one comes out alive.”

                The corner of the man’s mouth twitched.  “Like, say, James Corrigan?”

                “Oh, don’t even start,” answered Death, rolling her eyes.  “You should know yourself, James, that you haven’t really lived since you got shot, even if you have been walking around down there.”

                The man’s gaze grew sad.  “Yes.  And I would not wish the girl to adopt such an existence either.  But you realize there HAVE been exceptions to the rule.”

                “A few, sure.  But only for real, real good reasons.  So if you wanna bring this one back, you’d better have a heck of an excuse, Uriel."

                The Spectre gave a little nod of his head.  “That is only just.  This, then, is my proposal…”

 

 

 


	31. Conclusion

                A small _click_ echoed in the emptiness of the cavern as a knight touched down on its allotted destination.  The other player, from his position on the other side of the table, studied the move and hmmmed thoughtfully.

“Most people wouldn’t spend their last day in a new world like this,” commented his opponent.

                “Most people didn’t have my experience of this world,” answered the other dryly.  “You think I want to spend my first free weeks in MONTHS running around trying to see every new thing in this place?  Far too troublesome.  As far as I’m concerned, all worlds are the same and I’ve seen enough of this one.”  Apparently coming to a decision, he stretched forward a languid hand and moved a bishop across the board.

                “Your companions would seem to disagree with that statement.”  His opponent was clearly lit in the harsh light shining brilliantly down on the two of them, light that made the rest of the cavern obscure save for a few blinking monitors.  “They’ve all been VERY busy this last week.”

                Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.  “That’s because they didn’t have my experience.  They dealt with all the trappings—clothes, weapons, combat protocols, society.  THAT stuff is different enough, sure.  But I was stuck in a room and didn’t have to deal with any of that.  I just had to deal with how this world thought.  And it’s the exact same.”

                “So more accurately, you would say that _people_ are all the same.”  Another _click_ as a pawn inched forward.

                “Well, no.”  Shikamaru paused to consider the caped figure at the other end.  “I mean, simply playing you is worlds different from playing Luthor.  Have to say, you’re kind of throwing me off my game here.  After months of playing the exact same man, it’s a little disorienting to play someone who DOESN’T spam his pawns.”

                “You seem to favor knights,” observed Batman.

                Shikamaru snorted as he steepled his fingers in thought.  “As do you.”

                Acquiescing with a nod, Batman commented: “A little-used piece that strikes from the shadows in an unconventional direction.  Incredibly effective, in its own way.  Yet,” his eyes hardened slightly at the admission, “limited.  A one-trick piece, incapable of affecting a victory without the aid of others.”

                “I thought they said you were the quiet one,” muttered Shikamaru, eyes closed in thought.

                Something akin to a smile twitched the edges of Batman’s mouth.  “You were supposed to be the one who successfully annoyed Luthor into exposing his plan.”

                “I _was_.”  Shikamaru opened his eyes a little too quickly and made a somewhat abrupt move. 

                Batman studied the board a moment before grunting in interest. 

                “A single trick can make all the difference in the world, if the opponent doesn’t see it coming,” commented Shikamaru, stretching back lazily and yawning.

                “Granted.  But re-using the same trick makes it more visible.”  Batman seemed to be studying the new layout deeply.  “A good player needs to have more than one weapon.  He needs to be versatile.”

                Shikamaru, still leaning back, shrugged.  “If you say so.  But me, I’ve only ever had one real weapon, and I’ve always found it pretty effective.”

                Again, there was the twitch of a smile.  “The mind is an amazingly versatile weapon, Mr. Nara.  But even it is part of a body.”

                “Well, okay.”  Shikamaru waved off the moral.  “Not what I meant in any case.  You’d be amazed how many people simply don’t see the Kage Mane no Jutsu coming.”

                “Really.”  Batman tapped over one of Shikamaru’s knights and moved his rook into its place.  _Click._

                “Yeah, really.  For instance…” Shikamaru’s hands came together, “…have you noticed that we’re playing in a dark cave with HUNDREDS of shadows for me to use?”

                Batman did not so much as blink.  “Yes.  Have you noticed that you’re sitting in a chair that can be electrified on voice command?”

                There was a short pause.

                With a shrug, Shikamaru withdrew his hands.  “Good thing there’s no need to put it to the test.”

                “Yes,” nodded Batman.  “Good thing.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “It’s a good thing I remembered to bring extra salsa,” laughed Hawkgirl as she came back to the couch.  “Otherwise we would have been scraping the bottom of the bowl long ago.”  She proffered the bag at Sakura.  “Want some?”

                Sakura glanced sideways at the chips.  “I really shouldn’t…”

                “Oh, c’mon, girl!  It’s your last party on earth, live it up a little!”

                “Oh, all right.”  Grabbing a handful of the chips, Sakura picked out one and slid it into her mouth.  “We doo h’ve choops in K’nouha, yoo know.”

                “Sure, but not this brand.”  Hawkgirl passed the bag over to Ino, who simply shook her head.  “Anyway, that’s not the point.  The point is that you’re eating them with us.”

                “It is both wonderful and solemn that we partake of the chips and salsa upon our last day together!”  Snagging the bag in mid-air, Starfire floated over to Raven, who merely gave her a surly look, before moving on to Hinata. 

                Hinata accepted the bag with a jerky little bow.  “Thank you, Starfire-san.”

                “Don’t forget the soda, Oreos, and milkshakes,” grinned Hawkgirl, giving the Tamaranian a quick thumbs-up.  “All important female bonding stuff.”

                “So what happens when you all return?”  Wonder Woman’s head rose from her milkshake.  “How will things have changed?”

                Sakura shrugged.  “According to Kakashi, the war’s still going on, so I guess we’ll go back to fighting.”  Grinning with a sudden villainy, she turned to Tenten.  “They’re gonna LOVE you, girl.”

                “Heh.”  Tenten stretched out her cyborg arm in front of her, studying the hairline cracks that showed where the casing split apart.  “Can’t wait to try it out on those Zetsu things.”

                “You do realize that thing’s not going to be working for more than a year or so,” pointed out Huntress, from her chair on the left of the group.  “From what I’ve heard, Cyborg’s a good mechanic, but even so, you simply won’t have the means to keep that thing maintained.”

                Tenten shrugged.  “It’ll be fun while it lasts, at least.  After it breaks down I’ll get a Suna puppeteer to make me a new arm.  Won’t be as cool, but eh.”  For a moment, she seemed to be considering something but she shook it off.  “Not as though I could make a new one or anything, right?”

                “Yeah, right.”  Sakura laughed.  Sighing, she stared around the room.  “Lot of things about this place I’m gonna miss.”

                “But friend Sakura, you could return!  For the vacation of summer, and Glorthog day, and…”

                “Not from the sounds of what John tells me.”  Hawkgirl shook her head.  Stretching back, she glanced at Diana.  “Isn’t that right?”

                Wonder Woman reluctantly nodded.  “It was a joint decision.  I suppose if your Hokage wanted to send someone here, there’d be no way to stop him, but he seems as determined to cut off access as we are.”

                “But why?” protested Ino.

                Diana sighed.  “It’s… complicated.”

                “Politics.”  Sakura raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

                “It’s the way things should be,” said Hinata quietly.  “Spectre said that the convergence wasn’t supposed to happen, that if it continued it might cause a…. collision of sorts.”

                “Well, let’s not sit around discussing THAT, for God’s sake.”  Hawkgirl rolled her eyes.  “We’re here to party up one last time, not mope around talking about boring officials in towers.  Toss that bag of chips back here!”

                Huntress, not in her skimpy costume but a loose-fitting t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, tossed the bag and turned to Ino.  “So, by the way, how’d your talk with J’onn go?  What’d he say?”

                “Oh, that.”  Sighing, Ino slumped back into the couch and brushed the hair back from her eyes.  “He doesn’t know, basically.  He’s never seen a case like mine, so he’s got no way of knowing how my kids would turn out.  Though he did say I could probably jump start it by trying to read their minds like he did to me, but that would risk a vortex and…”  She rubbed her face in her hands.  “…it’s a mess.”

                Raven gave a sudden snort.  “Sounds like it.”

                “We’ll worry about it when it happens.”  Sakura comforted her friend.  “I might be able to help some… Terrific-sensei taught me some interesting things about brain structure, there’s a chance I could put it to use…”

                Wonder Woman shook her head.  “Even Terrific doesn’t understand J’onn’s mind.”

                “And in any case I don’t think my family would take kindly to you looking into our bloodline.”  Smiling ruefully as she watched her friend’s face fall, Ino reached over and punched Sakura’s shoulder.  “Oh, cheer up.  I’m sure there will be plenty of other ninja brains for you to cut up.”

                “Ha, ha.”  Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino.  “I suppose I shouldn’t worry.  In all likelihood you’ll never have children.”

                “Oh what-EVER!  I’ll be teaching those kids to walk while you’re still on your first date, billboard brow!”

                “As if, pig!”

                Wonder Woman gave a fond little shake of her head and stood up.  “Much as I hate to miss this, I have to get going.  I have an appointment to get to.”

                “U-um… I do too, actually,” said Hinata, glancing at the clock.  She started to collect together her plate and cup, brushing the crumbs from her sweater onto her plate.

                “What, already?  What time is it?”  Sakura also consulted the clock.  “Oh, drat.  I wanted to take one last look around that space station before Neji and Lee get back.”

                “I’ll come with you,” volunteered Tenten eagerly, fumbling for her knapsack.

                “Guess the party’s over then.”  Hawkgirl sighed as the whole group of females began to rise.  “Oh well, fun while it lasted.”

                “You’ll come to see us off, won’t you?”

                “Can’t.”  Hawkgirl smiled sadly.  “Someone needs to run patrols around here.”

                “I won’t be there either,” admitted Huntress, rising somewhat heavily to her feet.  “Q has some tests he wants to run and… well, some other stuff.”

                “Oh, then this is the last time we’ll see you!”  Ino’s face crumpled and she gave Hawkgirl a hug.  “Well, goodbye now, I guess.”

                “Yeah, goodbye.”  “Farewell, Shayera-san, Huntress-san.”  “Thanks for everything.”  Hugs were exchanged all around the room, some more awkward than others. 

                “Heh,” said Hawkgirl, pulling free from Sakura’s embrace, a quiet smile on her face.  “It’s going to be a lot quieter around here without you guys, you know?”

                Sakura smiled back.  “I think that’s kinda the point.”

                “Smart kid.”  Shayera ruffled Sakura’s pink hair.  “Here, you better take the teleporters, they’re the quickest way up to the space station.  You too, Tenten?  Man, what’s in that backpack of yours?”

                “Got enough scrolls there?”  Sakura threw her fellow rookie an amused look.

                “It’s Gai-sensei’s pack,” said Tenten, by way of explanation.  “He used them to store provisions.  Can we get going now?”

                “Of course.”  Hawkgirl touched her earpiece and the three dissolved into blue light.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Click._

“Are you two still at that?”  Neither man moved at the sudden, startling voice and its accompanying echoes.  Nor did they so much as shift their gaze from the board as Wonder Woman’s Olympian form strode into the light.  Snorting at the sight of them, she crossed her arms and sighed.  “Honestly.  I would have thought you’d be tired of that by now, Shikamaru, after playing nothing else for months on end.”

Shikamaru shrugged without looking up.  “Same game, new opponent.  Do you ever get tired of fighting?”  Moving a pawn forward a space, he asked, “So the girls have all broken up, have they?”

“Pretty much.  Sakura and Tenten have gone up for one last tour of the Watchtower.  I think that’s where most of the boys went too, you ninjas in general seemed pretty fascinated with that place.”

“Space travel isn’t done much where we come from.”  Shikamaru admitted.  “Our closest approach to astronomy is a plan to turn the moon into a giant eyeball.”

Caught in the act of raising his bishop, Batman arched an eyebrow at Shikamaru.  “Stranger things have happened.”

“Oh I know.  Particularly in my world.  I’m just saying, space here is a little different from space there.  Even I have to admit, it WAS pretty cool to look down on Earth like that.”  A shade passed over his face momentarily.  “I wonder what Konoha and the Elemental Nations would look like from up there.”

Wonder Woman smiled understandingly.  “I remember my first time seeing it, after I had left Themscyira.  It took me back, seeing you kids walk around there.  I’m not surprised they wanted to go through it again.”  A slight furrow appeared on her brow.  “In fact, I’m more surprised Ino and Hinata didn’t go.  I could’ve sworn they enjoyed it as much as they others.”

“Facing mortality, whether your own or the world in general, has a tendency to encourage the mating instinct,” murmured Batman, deliberating over his move.  _Click._

“What was that?”  Wonder Woman’s sharpened eyes indicated that she had heard him _very well indeed_.

“An unrelated point.”  Sitting back from the board,  Batman gestured at the looming monitor behind him, glowing faintly in the darkness.  “Check for yourself if you want to know where they are.”

“Bruce, honestly.  You’re STILL tracking them?  After all this time?  Haven’t they proven you can trust…”  Wonder Woman broke off as she realized who she was talking to.  “Don’t you think they’ll notice?”

“If they’re smart, they’d assume it by this point.”  Batman grunted.

“I know I would,” agreed Shikamaru, still studying the board.  “In fact, I’d feel insulted if I wasn’t considered dangerous enough to watch.” 

“What could they possibly get up to in the last hour or so before they leave?”

“You’d be surprised.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “I guess it’s… kinda weird to do this here.”  Naruto laughed nervously.  “I mean, I really might as well have just waited until we were back in Konoha and asked you THEN.  But…” he shrugged.  “…I did want to visit this place one last time, and it sorta seemed… right somehow.  I mean, since we went here before.”  Swallowing, he glanced at his table companion.  “Is it okay?  I mean I know it’s just the Noodle Nexus, not anyplace fancy, but…”  his voice trailed off, “…well…”

                Hinata tried to smile through her stark fear.  “I-i-i-i-it’s f-f-f-fine, Na-na-naruto-kun.”

                “Really?  Well, okay, if you’re sure…”  With a cough, Naruto glanced around the cafeteria.  “Anyway.  I… um… So… how are… things, you know?”

                Hinata’s eyes darted around in thought.  “Th-things.  Things?  Oh, things.  Th-things are f-fine.  Just fine.  They’re all doing fine.  I’m fine, thanks.  I…”  Her thoughts slowed down and she got a grip on them.  “I’m… doing well.  I… ah… I said goodbye to… to Lois-san earlier this m-morning.”  The comfort of this safe subject calmed her.  “She’s going to be there when w-we leave, of course but she w-won’t be able to do anything.  She’s going to be reporting.”

                “Kinda weird how you guys hit it off so well,” mused Naruto.  He too seemed much more comfortable with the neutral topic.  “I mean, she’s kinda loud and abrasive and you’re…” the move into dangerous territory flustered him and he stumbled for the right words, “…well, that is… I mean… I just didn’t that that you would… you’re just… not.”

                “We have more in common than you might think, Naruto-kun,” answered Hinata quietly.  “And L-lois-san is a g-good person.  She helps people understand Superman, not just as a big p-powerful hero, b-but as a real p-person.”  There was a somewhat abstracted look on her face.  “She keeps people fr-from being afraid of him.”

                “Heh.  I could almost use someone like that.”  Naruto completely missed the startled look Hinata threw him, he was thinking too hard.  “I… guess you’re right.  I never really knew her very well, but Superman seemed to like her a lot, so I guess she must be okay.”

                A smile curved Hinata’s mouth.  “You and Superman-san are a great deal alike also.”

                “I hope so,” murmured Naruto, leaning back.  “I hope so.  Superman… Hinata, he’s like everything I’ve ever wanted to be!  He practically IS strong enough and fast enough to save everyone, and he DOES it, without asking for money or help or even acknowledgment!  He even has a secret identity… He doesn’t even WANT to be acknowledged, Hinata, did you know that?  He says he’s always embarrassed by all the media attention, and that he practically adopted the whole Superman thing just so people wouldn’t bug him all the time.  I mean me… I want to be Hokage so people will realize how great I am, but Superman… he doesn’t even care.”

                “But neither do you, Naruto.”  Hinata giggled a little at Naruto’s startled expression.  “Well, at least, not really.  Maybe you used to, but Naruto…” she shook her head at him, “…lately, all you’ve really fought for is to keep us safe.  To protect your friends.  You’ve never really asked for acknowledgement for that.  You didn’t even tell Sakura that you defeated Gaara.”

                “Wha—“ Naruto stared at her.  “How’d you know that?”

                Hinata shrugged, looking away.  “Everyone knows it.  Sakura told us about it while you were away training with Jiraiya.  She said that… that Sasuke told her.”

                Naruto said nothing.  Hinata toyed anxiously with her spoon for a while and then looked away, unwilling to break the silence.

                With a sudden cough, Naruto turned to study the cafeteria.  “Where the heck’s our food, anyway?  Service here is so slow…”  He turned back, sighed, and looked up at her.  “So.  What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you go back to Konoha?”

                “I-I don’t kn-kn-know.”  The question visibly upset Hinata, and she reached for something hanging around her neck.  “I… I suppose I’ll have to report in to the clan and see how things have changed… they may have installed Hanabi in my absence… perhaps I will get some training in…”  She swallowed.  “B-b-b-beyond th-th-that… I h-h-haven’t really th-thought about it.”

                Naruto’s glance betrayed veiled concern, but he masked it with a cheerful laugh.  “I’m going to go to Ichiraku Ramen, first!  The old man will never believe all this!  And Granny Tsunade… oh, man, I can’t wait to see the expression on her face.  And then…”  His face grew suddenly serious.  “…well, then I guess there’ll be the war, same as always.”

                “Yeah.”  Hinata nodded.

                For a moment they sat, both silent, heads bowed in contemplation.  Finally Naruto sighed and sat up a little.  “Once the war’s over, though…” he muttered.  “I’m gonna be Hokage.”

                “Of course you will, Naruto!”  Hinata’s eyes shone with joy and admiration.  Not that Naruto’s  goal took much believing anymore.  His battle with Pain had earned him the whole village’s respect and love, and Hinata personally felt that as soon as Kakashi stepped down, the blonde genin would rise to replace him.  But it still thrilled her to hear him say it.

                “And after…”  A strange new gleam came into Naruto’s eye.  “After… I’ve got some ideas now. Hinata, there’s so much I could DO as Hokage!  I used to just want to BE Hokage, just because it meant people would have to acknowledge me, but now…”  He shook his head.

                “Why?  What would you do?  Make a ninja Justice League?”  Hinata giggled and then momentarily turned scarlet at the thought of Naruto in spandex.

                “No,” said Naruto, annoyed, amused, and oblivious.  “No, that wouldn’t work even if I WANTED to try it.  We don’t have super-criminals or anything like that, and what would be the point of making a tower to keep them all in?  Plus… the League is really kind of nuts on some things.”  He chuckled.  “Nah.  The League’s fun and all, but there’s no WAY it would fly in Konoha.  But there are… some ideas I’d like to carry over.”  For a moment he sat, lost in thought, and then shrugged.  “But I’d want to run them past Shikamaru in any case, and there’s no telling how much the elders would actually let me get away with.”

                Hinata giggled again, and Naruto looked at her oddly.  “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever really heard you laugh before.  Certainly not three times all together.”

                Hinata’s smile slowly faded to a look of confusion.  “Y-you… haven’t?”

                “No.”  Naruto shook his head.  “And… now that I think about it… you haven’t really been stuttering so much lately either.”

                Hinata’s face grew quietly grave as she thought about this.  Then she shrugged.  “I guess… I learned a few things from Lois-san.  And well…”  her quick glance away didn’t quite hide the blush rising to her cheeks, “I-I’m… f-feeling really… h-happy right now.”

                “Happy.  Right.”  For some reason Naruto’s face grew somber at this admission and he looked down for a moment.  Then, glancing up, he responded, “Okay, look.  I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a while, and if I put it off any longer it’s going to be ridiculous.”  He swallowed and took a deep breath.  “That… fight with Pain.  When you told me you loved me.”

                Hinata’s blood-red face drained to bone-white, and she stared furiously at the table.  “Y-y-y-y-yes…”

                “I told you that was stupid, right?  And amazing?”  At Hinata’s mute nod, he continued: “But it’s also… kinda difficult.”

                For a moment he said nothing further, and Hinata anxiously studied his reflection in the polished table.  He chewed furiously on his lip, started to say something several times and stopped just as often, ran his fingers through his hair, and finally let out a huff of frustration.

                “Okay.”  He said at last.  “Here’s the thing.  You said you love me.  No one’s ever really said that to me before, and I… I really didn’t know how to take it.  Especially because…”  Here he stopped again, looked away, and looked back, “I… I don’t know if I love you.”

Hinata looked up, her expression stone-blank, but Naruto hastened to explain.  “I don’t know yet, because I don’t really know you.  I wish I could say I always really loved you all those years and just never realized it…”  Naruto paused in mid-sentence and shook his head.  “Well, no, I  DON’T wish that, because if that was true I’d either be an incredibly insensitive moron or a horribly cowardly boyfriend.”  Smiling in a half-hearted attempt to break the tension.  “Anyway, the truth is, I always thought of you as a friend, as someone I really liked and respected but somehow I never… thought of you… like that.”  He bent his said.  “And… I’m sorry for that.  Here all these years I’ve been complaining about people not acknowledging me, and it turns out there was someone I was ignoring the whole time.”

“I-It’s o-oka-ay, Naruto-kun,”   Hinata managed to choke out.

“No,” said Naruto, shaking his head. “No, it’s not okay.  I should have noticed, that’s what I’m supposed to do.  And if I tried to pretend like I actually did, all those years…”  His face hardened and he looked away suddenly.

After a few moment’s intense staring, he turned back to her.  “Anyway.”  He swallowed.  “I know you love me.  And I don’t know if I love you yet.  But…” he shrugged and smiled again.  “I’d like to give it a try.  I want to get to know you better, Hinata, before I give you an answer.”

There was a short silence.

“When we get back to Konoha….” Naruto studied her face anxiously, “…you wanna go out?  Like to Ichiraku’s or something?  I know this is kinda a date already, but somehow… I always thought of Ichiraku’s as the first place I’d take my… girlfriend out to.”

A tiny smile quivered around Hinata’s lips.  “I’d l-like that, Naruto-kun.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                “Your friend Naruto seems to have gotten brighter since his arrival here.”

                Shikamaru gave a fond little snort.  “I certainly hope so.”

                “He’s had plenty of teachers,” observed Wonder Woman, leaning on the edge of the computer panel and watching the two.  “Robin, Superman… even you, Bruce, to some extent.”

                “Actually, it’s probably the first chance he’s had to talk to people who think more or less along his own lines.”  Reaching out, Shikamaru picked up his king and moved him over one space.  “Back in Konoha, all his stuff about not killing and a future without war is pretty much dismissed out of hand.  This place probably gave him some more practical ideas on what that would look like.”

                “If that’s the case, hopefully it’ll warn him not to expect too much.”  Wonder Woman’s face looked a little sad.  “Even a future without war is no paradise.”

                “Metaphysics,” said Shikamaru with a wave.  “I just said it would give him a chance.  Actually, given my experience under Luthor, I’d say your world has plenty of war… it’s just the battle lines aren’t as clear.”

                Wonder Woman smiled.  “That’s one way of putting it, I suppose.”

                “The battle seems to have cleared your friend’s mind, at any rate,” murmured Batman without looking up from the board.

                “Life’s lessons are best learned on the battlefield.”  Wonder Woman looked rather smugly proud.  “It is the warrior’s school.”

                But Shikamaru was studying Batman’s expression.  “You don’t think it’s got anything to do with any of that, I’ll bet.”   Batman gave no reaction, but Shikamaru pressed on.  “You think it’s got something to do with Luthor, don’t you?”

                Again, Batman made no response, but his head gave just the smallest inclination.

                “Oh Bruce.”  Wonder Woman rose in weary annoyance.  “How can you honestly think that?  After what Hinata told everyone?  Luthor’s gone, she was very clear on that.”

                “Actually, that was about the only part of the matter that she WAS clear on,” shrugged Shikamaru.  “Where he’s gone, what happened to him, and how she knows that… she didn’t exactly explain that satisfactorily.  Though, for what it’s worth, I’ve never known Hinata to lie to her friends, certainly not about something like this.  If she thought Luthor was still in Naruto’s head, she’d let us know.”

                Batman gave a bit of a shrug.  “I’m not doubting her earnestness,” said he, jumping a knight over several of Shikamaru’s pawns.  _Click._   “Her judgment, maybe.”

                “Bruce!”  Wonder Woman exploded.

                “No, it’s okay,” chuckled Shikamaru.  “I take it you mean in this particular case, not in general.  You think she might have misread the situation.”

                “Her confusion speaks against her.  She’s not certain of what she says, and she offers no way of MAKING certain.”

                Wonder Woman glared at him.  “You’re just brooding because you hate having to take the poor girl’s word for it.”

                “I don’t have to take her word for it.  I’m not.”  At Wonder Woman’s continued frown, he inclined his head in resignation and admitted, “Still, Luthor would be hard-pressed to imitate Naruto’s brand of stupidity.  Particularly as he didn’t know the boy for very long.”

                “To say nothing of his wanting to use that power,” added Shikamaru.  His queen skipped sideways and destroyed Batman’s rook.  “The guy had—or has—a god complex the size of the moon.  No way he’d be able to restrain himself this long.  No, I gotta go with Hinata.  Luthor’s gone.”

                “Possibly.”  Batman bent over the board again.

                Wonder Woman gave a sigh of exasperation.  “Bruce, you never think ANYONE is gone.”

                “They never are.”

               

 

* * *

 

 

                “It’s odd, you know?”  Terrific mused, staring out the coffeeshop window.  “None of us ever die.  I mean, ever really die.  None of the villains ever do, either.  Superman got vaporized once, Batman was reportedly dead in Gotham once, and another time ‘died’ in the alien invasion.  Brainiac has been destroyed several times, and Darkseid once or twice…”  He shook his head.  “But they always come back.  Always.  Batman could take a direct hit from Darkseid’s Omega Beam and he’d still come back.  In a way, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bizarro and Dr. Light got up off their slabs tomorrow and got right back to causing mayhem.”

                “This troubles you,” said the man across the table.  It was a statement of fact, not a question.

                “Of course it ‘troubles’ me!” snapped Terrific.  “Why should we be the only ones who get to cheat death?  Why is it only the civilians and the soldiers and the… the ‘normal’ people who really die?  People like…”  He cut himself off.

                “Perhaps,” observed his companion, “it is because less life is required of them.”

                Terrific glanced sharply at him but made no immediate reply, instead opting to sip at his cup.  “I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”  He muttered, at length.

                “Death is not nearly as permanent or as disastrous as people seem to think, Michael Holt.”

                “Tell that to my wife.”

                The other seemed about to say something, but checked himself and merely observed, “Even when a person’s soul has departed from this earth, they can still be said to live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew them.  Your wife and child, for instance, are still very alive in you.  And the example of Terry Sloane, the first Mr. Terrific, lives again in your incarnation.”

                Terrific shook his head.  “But they don’t really live.  The versions of my wife that live in my head… they’re nothing but phantasies, far more predictable and unsatisfying than the real thing.  Even the way my mental version disagrees with me is hollow, she’s far too easy to defeat.  She’s just a poor imitation…”  His mouth twitched in a sudden appreciation of irony, “…just as I’m a poor imitation of Sloane.”

                “Perhaps.  But their influence definitely remains here.”

                “But what people DO with that influence is up to them.  I nearly killed myself because of the ‘influence’ from my wife’s death.  How do any of us know that when we leave the League, we won’t leave it to a bunch of harebrained youngsters who’ll just through it all away.”  Terrific sighed.  “Like they say, ’And behold, I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, for I must leave them to the one who comes after me?  And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish?’ “

                The eyebrow of the other arched upwards.  “You know Ecclesiastes well.”

                “I know the Bible as well as the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita,” grumbled Terrific, raising his mug to his lips.  “I could teach a course on Ecclesiastes.  And it makes an unfortunate amount of sense.”

                “It was written by one of the wisest men of all time.  Of course it makes sense.”

                Terrific sighed as he set down his mug.  “I don’t know.  These ninjas… they have some ‘Will of Fire’ they believe in, some inherent optimism that the NEXT generation will solve the problems they can’t.  Humanism, some would call it, I think of it as ‘passing the buck.’  I know too many statistics to believe that.  Crime statistics, suicide statistics, environmental statistics.  I’m too deeply rooted in things like entropy to believe in true progress.”

                “Like evolution?”  Ignoring Terrific’s dark look, the other continued.  “Tell me, Mr. Holt, if you truly believe all this, why do you still fight on the side of the law?”

                Terrific shrugged.  “Force of Habit.  Nostalgia.  Moral cowardice, perhaps.”

                “Perhaps.  Might it also have something to do with what your wife would want?  With the kind of man she would want you to be?”

                For a long moment, Terrific’s burning gaze searched his companion’s face, seeking for mockery, cynicism, or even smug self-content.  But the other’s face remained calm and impartial, and finally Terrific gave it up and shrugged.  “Perhaps.”  He muttered.

                “Mmm.  Mr. Holt, you may not think it, but I too have a friend who is lost to me.”

                “What, to you?”  Terrific’s eyes glinted in dark amusement over the rim of his cup.  “Can’t you just visit him?”

                “No.  He has refused to see me, he says it is to make the pain of loss more real to me.”  A look of annoyance momentarily crossed the stone-hard face.  “But I can safely say that his influence still works on me, and upon many others.”

                “Oh?”

                “Indeed.  Among other things, his influence is what drew me to seek you out.”  The glimmer of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.  “He always said I needed more friends.”

                Terrific shook his head.  “You’re a sad and delusional man, and I’m more delusional yet for meeting with you like this.”

                “Perhaps.”

                “Aggh…”  Terrific stood to his feet and struggled into his jacket.  “Look, you’ve been an interesting man to talk to, but I really need to stop feeding my phantasies like this.  I won’t be coming here again, so this is goodbye, Mr. Corrigan.”

                “Goodbye, Michael Holt,” returned the Spectre, without looking up from the table.  “On the off chance you stop in here again, though, you will be always free to sit at this table and speak with me.”  He glanced up.  “Is that a deal?”

                “No,” growled Mr. Terrific, and left.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “No, some deal was definitely made.”  Shikamaru nodded.  “But what… that’s the question.”

                Wonder Woman shook her head.  “Shikamaru, you’re just not used to this world.  People come back here all the time.  It’s part of the job.”

                “But Hinata’s from MY world, and people from my world die, because that’s part of THEIR job.  Generally stay dead too, though we have jutsus to change that.”  Shikamaru’s face hardened momentarily before clearing.  “And Hinata’s not acting brainwashed enough to be one of those.”

                “She does seem a little… abstracted, though.”  A pawn advanced forward another step.  _Click._

                “Well yeah.  I imagine nearly dying would do that to a person.”  Shikamaru scoffed.  Studying the new outlay of the board, he drummed his fingers restlessly against the table’s edge.  “No, she made a deal.  If only we knew with whom.”

                “That’s not a major mystery, surely.”  Wonder Woman glanced at Batman.  “Her angel friend, the Spectre.”

                Batman nodded in agreement.  “He certainly would have the power, and he’s the supernatural force most closely related to the incident.  The Kyuubi might be involved too, I suppose…”

                 “Kyuubi wouldn’t care three straws about Hinata dying,” responded Shikamaru, shaking his head.  “No, you’re probably right, I just don’t know much about these ‘angel’ things you guys keep talking about and frankly…” he passed a hand over his forehead and glanced disbelievingly at Batman, “…I’m really weirded out at the thought of Hinata playing around with cosmic forces.  It’s just… not what I would have expected.”

                An understanding grunt escaped Batman.  “Your comrades have done a lot here that I imagine you wouldn’t have expected.  She did an awful lot while you were locked up.”

                “So I keep hearing.  But she hasn’t done anything since the battle.”  Shikamaru shrugged.  “Perhaps that ‘soul-banishing’ thing she did stripped her of her powers.”

                Cautiously, Batman half-shook his head.  “Just because you stop doing something doesn’t mean you’ve lost the ABILITY to do it.  It just means you’ve gotten better at hiding it.”

                “COULD mean.”  Shikamaru corrected.

                “Assuming the poor girl DID make a deal, and assuming it WAS with the angel, what makes you think it’s dangerous?”  At Batman’s questioning glance, Wonder Woman rolled her eyes.  “Bruce, I’ve been working with you for long enough.  You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t think it was somehow dangerous.”

                Batman snorted but did not bother to refute the Amazon’s accusation.  “I’m uncomfortable with life debts.  They imply an outside loyalty, which makes the teammate in question unpredictable.”

                “It’s an unknown,” nodded Shikamaru understandingly.  “And you dislike unknowns, particularly when you’re unsure of the recipient’s judgment.”

                A strange smile spread over Wonder Woman’s face.  “I think I can speak for her loyalty, at least to some of your friends, Shikamaru.”

                “Yeah.”  Shikamaru answered with a knowing smirk.  “At least I don’t have to worry about that.”

                “Supernatural ties have a way of overruling even the closest ties of the victim,” warned Batman.  He was not smiling.  “I would keep an eye on her, Mr. Nara.  After a few hours, she won’t be any threat to my world, but you will have to remember the possibility for the rest of her life… perhaps even after.”

                “Could be.”  Shikamaru shrugged, finally making his move.  His queen traveled across the board and demolished an apparently insignificant pawn.  “But as you say, that’s my problem.”

                “Just make sure it REMAINS yours.”  Batman glared.

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Not to put too fine a point on it, Mr. Hokage, but all things considered, our world has enough problems of our own, and we don’t want to add yours to the equation.”  Amanda Waller gazed stonily at the grey-haired ninja.  “The United Nations have declared an isolationist policy in regards to your dimension, and asks that all future dealings be through the Justice League.”

                “Saaaah…”  Kakashi nodded.  With his half-lidded eyes, his askew headband, and his orange book of porn sitting on the table, he did not particularly look dignified, but he couldn’t find it in him to care.  He was sitting at a table with Gai and a man wearing red underwear outside blue spandex.  In comparison, he felt he looked wonderfully professional. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”  He responded easily.  “This whole affair was a mistake from the start, and to be frank, further connection would destabilize the ninja world.”  A gesture indicated the cityscape just outside the window.  “Motorized vehicles?  Flying metal kites?  These… guns that I see all over the place?”  Kakashi shook his head.  “No.  It would send the entire ninja economy crashing down, in the midst of a war, no less.  If it would help us out in the current war, that might be one thing, but the current war is a battle utterly of chakra, seals, and jutsus.  Your developments would not provide any immediate aid, and they would create an immediate disaster, which would be fatal at this juncture.”

 “In any case, I really wouldn’t want to try a repeat teleportation, what with the stress it puts on my Sharingan.”  At this juncture he touched the headband and winced; despite the best efforts of medics from two dimensions, the eye still ached amazingly.  “In all honesty, I’m not sure it’ll be able to take more than the one we need to get home.  And since I’m the only one in the Ninja Alliance who has one of these, I think I can safely guarantee that your neutrality will be honored.”

Waller gave a curt nod of gratitude.  “Thank you.  And as for its, ah, weaponized use?”

“Kamui will be a forbidden jutsu in the Alliance, not to be used even in war.  However, fair warning: there is another, an international terrorist, who I suspect has the same ability I do.  And if Uchiha Sasuke escapes you and returns to Konoha, he may also gain my power.  Neither may be so… respectful of your neutrality.”

“Understood.”  Waller glanced at Superman.  “May the UN rely on the League to treat any visitors here as interdimensional criminals?”

Superman looked at Kakashi, who nodded.  “Very well.”

“As to Uchiha Sasuke, once he is recovered, we shall teleport him back to you using the Sharingan projector designed by Terrific.”

“That may enable Madarra to reclaim him.”  Kakashi warned.  “Could I request that you kill him first and then teleport his body to us?”

“No,” cut in Superman before Waller could reply.

Kakashi shrugged.  “Naruto would never forgive me anyway, I guess.  Try to at least incapacitate him, though—make him less dangerous.  However, one thing I must insist on…” his eyes lost their lazy, half-lidded expression and grew suddenly hard, “…is the destruction of the Sharingan projector, once you have returned Sasuke to Konoha.”

“Naturally.”  Superman nodded.  “We only made it to send your ninjas home, your arrival takes care of that, so after we recover it and Sasuke, we’ll destroy it.  It’s not much use to us, anyway, it can only be powered by chakra.”

“And I must also insist on the destruction of all records of the ninjas during their time here—interviews, video footage, and medical history.  Particularly the medical history, especially in regards to the Sharingan.”  Seeing the belligerent expression on Waller’s face, Kakashi pressed his case.  “Our ninja techniques are all military secrets, secrets that have been endangered during their stay here.”

“Secrets that we cannot use, nor transmit to others,” snorted Waller.  “Your request is impossible in any case, none of the interviews and video footage obtained by the media can be rightfully seized, we’d have a civil liberties heyday on our hands.  As for medical records, your ninjas must have left DNA all over the continental US.”  Holding up a hand to forestall Kakashi’s outburst, she continued, “If it comes to destroying records, I must ALSO insist that you relinquish the suit Rock Lee obtained from Batman, the chakra enhancement kit developed by Haruno Sakura, and…” there was a little glint in her eye, “…the arm Yukari Tenten received from Cyborg.”

Kakashi froze.  The one was negligible, the second reproducible, but the third… there were enormous capabilities in that arm, none of which had the earlier drawbacks.  Not to mention what Tenten might do to him if he TRIED taking it away…

“In terms of information, perhaps I also should request that you wipe their minds of the training they received in their stay,” remarked Waller, somewhat sarcastically, as she saw Kakashi struggle with the decision.

“Oh, very well.”  Kakashi relented, his eyes losing their hardness.  “Still, I would advise you to keep the medical records strictly classified.  They could be dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“Everything in the Metro Tower is classified,” Superman assured him.  “The majority of their care was here, and what little wasn’t I can have Question track down and destroy.  You have nothing to worry about.”

                With a noncommittal shrug, Kakashi stood to his feet.  “Well, I guess that takes care of everything.  Unless you have other matters…?”  Waller shook her head.  “Saahh, good.  I suppose I should get ready to go, then.”

                “First, if you please…”  Waller gestured for Kakashi to sit down again as the computer beside her chattered into life, printing out a few quick pages which she took and handed to Kakashi, who received them with a somewhat confused glance.

                After a few moments perusal, he looked back up.  “You have a treaty drawn up within seconds of our agreement?”

                Waller shrugged.  “The wonders of court recorders, Mr. Hokage.  And telewriters, and lawyers-by-proxy…”  Shaking her head, she gestured at the papers again.  “Are the terms agreeable?”

                “I believe so…” Kakashi scanned the pages again.  “Agreeable, and surprisingly brief.  Are all legal documents in this world so nice and simple?  Because if you could spare a few secretaries…”

                Waller’s line of a mouth twitched.  “The briefness of this document is an indication of how quickly it was drawn up and how simple the terms are.  It does not indicate the state of paperwork here in general.  Fortunately for both of us, infractions are as impractical as they are unlikely.”

                Kakashi nodded in agreement.  Picking up a pen, he twirled it around his finger absentmindedly before dashing off a signature on the dotted line.  Superman signed it also, and passed it to Waller, who wrote out her name in curt, neat letters.  “I believe that is all, then,” said she, and started to rise, when Kakashi stopped her with his hand.

                “In my world we always sign our documents with a bloody fingerprint.”  He informed her.  “Otherwise it isn’t considered legally binding.”

                Waller looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and then, without pausing, drew a penknife and slit her thumb as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  With Superman and Kakashi watching in silence, she pressed down her bloody thumb next to her signature and then glanced up.

                There was a short silence.

                “Um… that was a joke,” managed Kakashi.

                Waller could  give out—and had given out—some lethal glares, but as a diplomat she knew better than to unleash one on Kakashi.  Yet the mere coldness of her carefully blank face bored into Kakashi until, shrugging, he pulled out a kunai and sliced his own thumb.

                “There,” said Waller, as Kakashi pressed his thumb to the paper.  “Now that everything has been settled, I think our business is concluded.  Thank you for your time, Mr. Hokage.”

                As they left the room and went down the hall, Gai tapped Kakashi on the shoulder.  “Kakashi-sama.”  He whispered.  “Have you seen the storage scrolls I packed?”

                Kakashi rolled his one visible eye.  “I seem to recall seeing twenty-three such things heaped up in the corner of our room, yes.”

                “That is what troubles me.”  Gai leaned in closer, and in a thunderous whisper, confided, “There were thirty-seven of them yesterday.”

 

* * *

 

 

 

                “Did you know your friend Tenten was in the League armory this morning?” commented Batman, moving his bishop across the board.  “She’d removed several of my tracers, but apparently she forgot the ones in the food.”

                Shikamaru nodded understandingly.  “That’s where they stored some of the more dangerous weaponry they recovered from Luthor, correct?”

                “Superman didn’t trust the government with it,” grunted Batman.  “Still, most of them were too large for a single human to use, and they were ALL too big for her to carry out… I really wonder what she could have been doing for the five hours she was there.”

                “Do you, now.”  Shikamaru’s gaze did not waver from the board.

                “Mm.”

                “Do you also wonder what she must have been doing in the Wayne Enterprises weaponry department yesterday?  And in the STAR labs armory the day before that?”  At Batman’s appraising look, Shikamaru snorted.  “Oh, c’mon.  You and Shino aren’t the ONLY ones who can trace people, you realize.  I can observe and make deductions.”

                “So I see.” 

                “Are you saying…” began Wonder Woman, a look of horror on her face.

                Batman raised a hand to silence her.  “She could hardly carry out very much on her own, and anyway she’ll be leaving in full view of the League, including Superman with his x-ray vision.  It’s not as though she could actually take any of it back.  I imagine she simply wanted a chance to study it all.”

                “That must be it,” nodded Shikamaru blandly, taking Batman’s bishop with his knight.  “On an unrelated note, where did you get those crates of soldier pills, medical supplies, and Konoha army rations that I passed on my way in here?”

                “A few curiosities.  Mementoes of your stay here.  There aren’t nearly as many as it looks.”

                “See now, I AM actually curious what you’re going to do with those.”  Shikamaru stared at Batman, who was once again studying the board.  “But I know better than to ask, so answer another question for me.  At school they’re always gabbing about ‘the balance of power’ and all that.  Aren’t you worried about the effects that might have on the Alliance?”

                “Aren’t you?”

                Shikamaru shrugged.  “Tenten’s on my side.”

                “And now she’s on mine too.” 

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Enormous metal doors slid back with all the ease and silence of a supermarket, revealing the glittering starry expanse beyond.  Three green, glowing figures floated through the gap, shooting over the hangar bay with its orderly rows of javelins and bustling attendants.  On an overhanging balcony at the far end, they landed, and slowly the glow diminished.

                Neji felt the edge of his robe, as if he expected it to be changed somehow.  “Thank you.  That was a most… remarkable experience.”

                “YOSH!”  Lee sprang to attention.  “Indeed, our journey together was full of youthful adventure and exhilarating passion!  Oh, the sights seen!  Oh, the people met!  Glad am I, o Jon Stewart, Green Lantern of Sector 2814, for you to have shared these things with I, Rock Lee, the Beast of the Leaf Village!”

                Green Lantern smiled.  “Hey, it’d be a shame if you guys had to leave here without seeing Oa, at least once.”  Beckoning them through a door, he and the two ninjas passed into a long hallway, its right wall transparent to the earth.  “And you DID hold the ring, Lee, for however short a time, so I felt you ought to get a chance to see what that all meant.”

                “A great deal, apparently,” mused Neji.  “All those… creatures assembled there.  All of them come from separate worlds, separate planets?”

                “Worlds, planets, asteroids, planes of reality…  There’s a whole universe out there, Neji.  Each world is as different as yours is from ours—many more so.  The Green Lanterns haven’t explored all of it, but what they have, they protect and preserve as well as they can.”

                Neji shook his head.  “Truly incredible.  I had… No one in Konoha, would have had any idea.”

                “No one on Earth did either, for quite a long time.”  Stopping, Stewart gestured at the glass wall and all three turned to regard the glittering orb below.  “Even after they finally decided the world was round, even once they got used to the idea that the Earth orbited the sun, even for many years after that, no one seriously believed that the universe could contain another planet with life.  The odds were incredibly against it—astronomical.”  Green Lantern’s lips twitched at his own joke.

                “And yet it is the case.”  Neji commented.

                “Exactly,” nodded Stewart.  “The odds are trumped once again.  Even here in the League, we have Superman, J’onn, Shayera…”  The blush that momentarily suffused his features went unnoticed by Lee but not Neji.  “…and then that Starfire girl that they have in the Titans.”

                “It is curious that they all resemble humans so closely.”  Neji observed.  “One would expect more anatomical deviance, such as we saw on Oa.”

                Stewart frowned.  “Yeah, that IS odd.  Humanoid forms are surprisingly common, even on Oa.  There’s a few theories as to why, but…”  He shrugged.  “One of those eternal mysteries, I suspect, lost as so much in the universe is.”

                “Well.”  Neji gave a deep bow.  “I thank you for this truly eye-opening glimpse you have given us of the universe, however small a part you say it was.  So many sights…”  He shook his head.  “…I will never forget them.”

                A quiet smile curved the lips of Green Lantern, and he shook Neji’s hand.  “I hope not.”  He replied softly.  Turning to Lee, he asked, with an odd joviality, “So, do you get a better sense now of what that ring can do?”

                “Indeed, Stewart-san,” nodded Lee gravely.  “The task of Green Lantern appears to be one of great responsibility and passion.  I am honored to have fought with a warrior such as yourself.”  He also bowed.

                “Er… thank you.”  Somewhat awkwardly, Jon bowed back, to Neji’s completely non-evident amusement.  Standing, Jon continued, “You’re pretty good yourself, you know.  I don’t just mean the footwork,” he added, seeing Lee’s face, “I meant more the ring.”  He took a step forward.  “Lee, I have to tell you… the Guardians at Oa…. They said they’d never seen anything like what you did to that ring.  It’s absolutely phenomenal, the level of power you generated, especially considering you just picked up the thing.  With a little training in how to use it…”  Jon shook his head.  “…Lee, you could be one of the greatest Green Lanterns in the universe.”

                Lee stared into Jon’s face intently, but made no sign.  Though Neji looked troubled, he said nothing.

                “You wouldn’t have to leave Konoha,” continued Jon.  “Much as I’d like to have you in this universe, I’m willing to be there’s some kind of Green Lantern Corps in your dimension also.  And even if there wasn’t…”  He shrugged.  “Guardians of separate dimensions aren’t unheard of.  I think you’d have the power to handle a good chunk of your own universe.”

                Pulling his own ring from his hand, Jon dropped it into Lee’s hand.  “It’s a great power, and an even greater duty.  An enormous burden.  But I think you’d be equal to it.”  He indicated the ring.  “If you want, just take that and the Lantern battery with you back to Konoha.  The Guardians will understand and I…”  A smile touched his lips.  “I’d like to think of it being used by someone like you.”

                Lee’s gaze went from Jon’s face to the ring.  Studying it for a moment, he rolled it around his hand, picked it up, and slid it on his finger.  For a few, long instants he stared at it there, his massive eyebrows knitted in a unusually intense expression, watching the green glow it emitted.

                Finally, with a slow, slightly regretful shake of the head, he took it back off and handed it back.  “You do me great honor, Stewart-san,” responded he quietly, with another bow.  “But…”  He shrugged, “…it just makes things too EASY.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                A sharp beeping noise at the monitor made Batman glance up.  “There’s the signal.” He replied.  “The others must be ready now.  Time to finish this up.”  Picking up his sole remaining knight, he jumped over Shikamaru’s bishop and set it down.  “Checkmate.”

                “What?”  Shikamaru half-stood.  Glancing from Batman’s half-smirking face to the game, he studied the board carefully.  “…not there, not there…”  He shook his head.  “You’re right.”

                “A good game, Mr. Nara.”

                “You know, I didn’t see that at all.”

                “Well,” Batman inclined his head.  “That’s sort of the point.”

                Shikamaru nodded assent.  “Just one problem with that move, though.”  At Batman’s question look, he explained, “You can’t make it.”

                “Why not?”

                “Because…”  Shikamaru indicated his own knight, comfortably placed between Batman’s rook and sole remaining pawn.   “You’d already lost.”

                Batman blinked.  He looked at the knight.  He looked at his king.  He looked at Shikamaru’s bishop, the same one he had just jumped over, and the remaining rook.  And then, slowly, he shook his head, smiling.  “Mr. Nara…”  He held out his hand.  “It is a pity you are leaving us.”

                “It kinda is, actually.”  Shikamaru shook the gloved hand.  “That was a more interesting game than I’ve had for months.  Luthor got old.”  Letting go, he heaved a sigh.  “Still…”

                “Still.”  Batman indicated the Batplane, sitting on the runway.  “It is time for things to return to their old routine.”

                “Mm,” nodded Shikamaru, as he and Batman moved to the Batplane.

                “Hang on a second.”  Wonder Woman was in front of the monitor, studying the map of the ninjas’ locations.  “Bruce, what’s this black mark here?”

                Both men turned.  “That’s the tracer I hid on the Sharingan projector Terrific built,” replied Batman.

                Wonder Woman’s brow wrinkled in confusion.  “The one Sasuke stole?”

                “According to our best guesses, yes.”

                “So… is Sasuke at this location on the map then?”  The confused wrinkle was growing.

                “Possibly.”

                Giving up, Wonder Woman simply snapped.  “So shouldn’t you call Clark and STORM the place and RECAPTURE him?”

                Batman and Shikamaru offered each other a little smile. 

                “You probably don’t need to hurry,” suggested Shikamaru.

                “He can’t run it without Naruto’s level of chakra,” agreed Batman, with curious nonchalance.  “I think it can wait until after the ninjas have left.”

 

* * *

 

 

                “Well?  Can you power it or not?”

                Karin stood up from her study of the device and polished her glasses.  “I think so.  It has a very simple construction, with only very rudimentary chakra outlets, but no inherent chakra of its own.  Shouldn’t offer any conflictions with Juugo’s body.”

                “Good.”  Sasuke’s single glowing eyepiece focused on his overpowered berserker.  “Understand what I need you to do, then?”

                “I think so.  Absorb the thing into one of my hands, aim it at us, and fire.  The aiming may be a little tricky, but apart from that…”  Juugo nodded.  “…I can do it.”

                Suigetsu hopped off the crate he’d been sitting on.  “Sweet.  Let’s give this thing a shot, then.”

                “One moment.”  Turning back to Karin, Sasuke asked, “If Juugo is still attached to the device when he uses it, will it teleport with us?”

                Karin shook her head.  “No.  It’s not included in the teleportation eyesight.  It will just rip off Juugo’s arm.”

                “Will that kill him?”

                For the briefest instant, Team Taka shared a slightly bewildered look at Sasuke’s question.  “Surely that’s unimportant, Sasuke-sama,” offered Juugo.  “We need to take this chance, there is no other way home.”

                Sasuke ignored him.  “Answer the question.”  He ordered Karin.

                “I—I don’t think so,” managed Karin.  “Some loss of body mass, but that is the extent of the damage.”

                Sasuke gave a curt nod of approval.  “Good.  Thank you, Karin.”  Turning away from her astonished expression, he strode over to the wall and picked up a few semi-automatics that had been sitting there.  “We should be on our way, then.”

                “Right.”  Karin picked up a bedraggled knapsack bursting with books and dragged it over.

                “Boss, what’re you going to do about your eye?” asked Suigetsu, jerking a thumb at the projector.  “You just going to leave it here?”

                A shrug came in answer.  “That eye is as blind as the other.”  Sasuke tapped the side of his head meaningfully.  “It is worse than useless to me, and less than that to the heroes.”  Moving over to his subordinates, he stuffed his guns into a sack and stood upright.  “Once we return, I shall ask Madarra for my brother’s eyes.”

                “So you can kill Naruto, huh boss?” snickered Suigestu.

                Sasuke’s expression was curiously pensive.  “Perhaps.”  His face clearing, he gestured to Juugo.  “Do it.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

                Ninjas, heroes, and government liasons stood assembled in the open room, an oddly awkward silence prevailing between them.  Most of the ninjas looked perfectly stoic and resigned, while the heroes were muttering and shuffling around.  Waller had a profoundly irritated expression on her face and kept glancing at her watch.

                “Where IS that man?”  She finally exploded.  “He said he’d be down here fifteen minutes ago?”

                Sighing, Sakura offered the woman a sympathetic shrug.  “That’s Kakashi-sama for you.”

                “I really wouldn’t expect him for another half-an-hour,” agreed Naruto, giving a shamefaced grin.  “Sorry.  He just doesn’t…”

                The door flew open and a whole roomful of heads swiveled Kakashi strode casually in, followed by a less-casual Gai and an even less casual-Flash.  “Hi everybody.”  He waved.  “Sorry I’m late, but there was this international disaster and I…”

                “Kakashi-sama…” sighed Sakura, pinching the bridge of her nose.  “This is bad enough already.  Don’t make it worse.”

                Gai’s eyes lit up at the sight of Tenten.  “Ah!  You have found my missing storage scrolls, Tenten-san!”  Running over, he endeavored to take them back.  “I am most indebted to you, youthful student!”

                “Haha, don’t mention it, sensei!” replied Tenten with a slightly uneasy joviality, pushing Gai back.  “Um… you haven’t… looked inside any of the other scrolls, have you?”

                “If we can dispense with the chit-chat,” snapped Waller, “I believe we have an interdimensional incident to close here!”

                The declaration sobered everyone up, and Waller nodded appreciably.  “Now, if you have any last words to offer, this would be the time.”

                There was a short silence.  Then Superman walked over to Naruto and held out his hand.  Naruto, after a moment’s uncertainty, shook it.

                The simple act touched off a host of others.  Wonder Woman faced Sakura and placed her left hand over her heart in an Amazonian salute.  Lee hugged Batman, Robin, Flash, and Green Lantern in five seconds before returning to his station to burst into tears.  Neji gave Green Arrow a curt nod of appreciation and bowed to Static, who gave him a little wave in return.  J’onn and Ino only locked glances, but what they actually said was impossible to tell.  Kiba and Beast Boy locked arms and did a quick secret handshake.

 

Hinata did nothing, but her eyes sought out a reporter on the far side of the room.  Slowly, she offered the tiniest smile.

The reporter grinned back and then, after a few seconds study of her, jerked her head at Naruto in question.

Hinata’s face flamed momentarily and her head nodded, ever so slightly.

Lois’ face split into one huge smile and she gave the girl a thumbs-up, accompanied by a wink.

All this time Naruto and Superman stood, shaking hands.  “It was a pleasure to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki,” said the Kryptonian.

“You too,” answered Naruto, with a quick swallow.  “Great.  Really… really great.  Thanks for everything you taught me about… heroing.  And stuff.  I hope…”  He swallowed again.  “I hope I have a chance to use it.”

Superman smiled.  “I’m sure you will.”

Then he let go and stepped back, the ninjas formed up in one large group, and Kakashi, facing the mirror that filled the entirety of the opposite wall, lifted his headband from his eye.

“I think this is going to hurt.”  He muttered, and then, “Kamui!”

A flash, a sudden strange warping of space like a great whirlpool, and the ninjas of Konoha were gone.


	32. Perpetuation

 

                “Glad as I am to see you back in one piece, Naruto, I have to tell you things look very bad right now.”  Tsunade leaned across her desk.  “It might have been safer for you to stay in the other dimension.”

                Naruto shook his head.  “There’s no way I’m leaving you guys to deal with this by yourselves.  Besides…” He flashed a cocky smile.  “…you forget who you’re talking to.  I’m Naruto Uzumaki, and I’ll definitely save everyone!  Believe it!”

                “Naruto, I don’t think you understand the situation.”  Tsunade sighed.  “The Raikage is dead.  Killer Bee is dead.  The Tsuchikage has been critically wounded and is in intensive care.  Nearly half of our ninja force has been decimated.”

                “You said Kabuto left Madara though, right?”  Shikamaru spoke up from his position against the wall.  “That should make things easier.”

                Tsunade shook her head.  “He did, but he’s back.  I don’t know why Madara let him back in—Kabuto must have some trump card—but we’re seeing Edo Tensei’s on the front lines again.  And the fact that Kabuto’s back…”

                “…means Sasuke must be back as well.”  Sakura sighed.

                “It appears the League was unable to capture him in time,” noted Shino.

                Neji nodded.  “Or they did, and Madara simply intercepted the return signal.”

                “If he could do that, why didn’t he pick up Naruto when we teleported back?”  Kiba had slumped on the floor in complete defiance of protocol and basic manners.

                A quiet voice spoke up from the rear.  “Spectre may have helped with that.”  Avoiding the questioning gazes, she shrugged.  “He said he needed us to return home.”

                “Look, whatever.”  Tsunade  waved her hands irritably.  “I don’t quite follow all this mumbo-jumbo you kids are spouting anyway.  The point is, now that you’re here, the battle is on again, and we are in a vastly weaker position!  Kabuto and Madara may have cards they haven’t even played yet, and we’re down to our last shinobi.”

                “You’ve got us!” pointed out Naruto.

                Tsunade sighed.  “And as I said before, Naruto, that’s great, but twelve kids don’t make up for the half-army of ninja I don’t have.  Don’t take this the wrong way, but twelve kids barely make up for losing Kakashi’s abilities.”

                Every eye turned to Sakura.  “It’s true.”  She said quietly.  “I did a full examination.  It’ll be months before he’s fit for active duty, and I don’t know if his Sharingan will ever be usable again.  A kamui of that magnitude was just too much.  Frankly it’s a wonder we made it at all.  Or should I say a miracle…?”  She raised her eyebrows at Hinata.

                But Hinata just shrugged.  “I don’t know.  It’s possible he also helped with that.”’

                “So there you have it.”  Tsunade threw up her hands.  “Our best shinobi down or incapacitated, and half our force gone.  If we’d gone full out at the start… who knows what might have happened.  The Kages could have fought together, perhaps, we could have taken on the tailed beasts, it could have…”

                “That’s irrelevant.”  Shikamaur interrupted.  “There’s no time for ‘what could have been.’  We need to focus on right here and now.”

                Slumping suddenly, Tsunade nodded.  “You’re right of course.”  She muttered.  “It’s just… the situation’s really bad.  We’ve even started arming civilians, but what can they do without techniques?”

                “Ahem.”

                Everyone turned to regard a strangely blushing Tenten.  “I…. may have a suggestion.”

 

 

* * *

 

                It was an eyeball.  A glowing red one with several black flecks flickering about in its depths, and more importantly, connected to a bizarre organic device with a sort of computer screen.  The dark grey flesh apparently fused with the front of it was new, but apart from that, the item was unmistakeable.

                It might be an eye, but it was not JUST an eye, and it had Diana wondering if her not-quite-boyfriend was insane.  Granted, he’d been sane—quite correct, actually—the other times he’d crossed the League, but this… this was…

                “Bruce, explain to me again why you have the projector we destroyed last week.”  She asked, not looking away from the eyeball.

                A snort came from the man stationed at a tank on the far side of the room.  “Because it leads to another dimension, that’s why.”

                “Okay, now tell me HOW you have the projector we destroyed last week.”

                “Because you never destroyed the actual projector,” answered Batman without turning.  “You destroyed a copy I fabricated and planted at the location I gave Clark.  The real projector—this one—I removed from a warehouse in Jump City shortly after the other ninjas left.”

                Diana closed her eyes.  “So in defiance of the League and the treaty we signed with the Konoha ninjas, you saved this thing and brought it here—“ she glanced up at the vaulted ceiling, “—to the Batcave sublevel.”  Still staring at the ceiling, she frowned.  “Why am I not surprised to find you have a lead-lined secret bunker that no one else in the League knows about?”

                “Because you know me as a paranoid bastard who keeps things to himself, Princess.”  It was impossible to read Batman’s expression, particularly at this distance.

                “So why are you telling me?” asked Wonder Woman, finally turning from the Sharingan and walking over to the crimefighter.  “This is pretty big, Bruce.  I should tell Clark.”

                Bruce still did not turn from the tank.  “But you won’t.”

                “No,” said Wonder Woman with sigh of defeat, glancing away in frustration.  _Damn manipulative…_ “I won’t.  But could you at least provide me with a reason why NOT to, so I feel better about it?  I thought you wanted the link to be broken.”

                “Broken, not destroyed.  Let’s say I am keeping my options open, and providing a safeguard while I’m at it.  If any of the ninjas use that jutsu again, whatever is sent should come out here.”  Finally finishing whatever he was doing with the tank, Batman faced her.  “Definitely useful to have a controlling element.”

                Wonder Woman glanced off to the side.  “So that’s why you had that bomb vault with the blast doors built.”

                “Exactly.”  Batman indicated the device.  “Anything that comes through will be trapped in that vault, instead of simply popping up wherever on the planet.”

                “Then why not just keep the eye?  Wouldn’t that have the same effect?”  Eyes narrowed in suspicion, Diana watched Bruce begin wheeling the device into the vault.  “That thing you said to Shikamaru back then… about wanting to have Tenten on your side… you’re thinking of using the portal, aren’t you?”

                Batman snorted, lifting the projector and carefully positioning it on a stand in the vault.  “Please, Princess.  Even if I managed to extract all the chakra from the soldier pills and foodstuffs they left behind, I should scarcely be able to activate it more than twice.  And even then, I would probably teleport right in front of their Hokage.”  Striding out of the vault, he pressed a few buttons on a panel nearby and the massive door swung shut.  “As I said, I’m merely keeping my options open.  It can be useful to have a friend in need.”

                Puzzled, Diana blinked at Batman as he strode along to another vault door, one of five set in the wall.  “Bruce, I’m not really following you.”

                Batman stopped and turned to face her.  “Defeating Luthor would have been much more difficult—and potentially more costly—without the help of the ninjas.  During their stay here, they contributed much to our understanding of battlefield tactics and unarmed combat.  And that’s not even counting the material they left behind—foodstuffs, soldier pills, stray kunai, chakra-saturated hunks of earth and metal…”

                “All of which you’ve spent every waking moment since they left locating and allocating.  That’s another thing I don’t get.”

                “Let’s say I’m interested in whether chakra can be reproduced.”  A truly disturbing smile spread over Batman’s face.  “But that is not the point.  The point is that despite the… initial unpleasantness, the incident nonetheless had some very helpful side-effects.  With a more graceful initiation, further dimensional exploration could prove to be quite rewarding.”

                “’Further’ exploration?”  Diana watched in alarm as Batman punched a code into the panel adjoining the other door.  “What are you talking about?”

                Batman snorted as the door swung open, revealing a metallic ring surrounded by an assortment of computers and equipment.  “You know quite well what I’m talking about, Diana.  Exploration of other dimensions.  Other parallel universes.  Deliberate insertion into other worlds.  And, possibly, informal alliances with them.”

                “What, like an interdimensional League?”  Wonder Woman watched in amazement as Batman walked up to the foremost of the computers and booted it up.  “Bruce, this isn’t like you.  You’re not a team player, you don’t trust others.”

                “You forget, in some instances here, I wouldn’t be trusting others.  I’d be trusting myself.  Have already, in fact.”

                Diana’s hand flew to her mouth.  “You didn’t discuss this with Lord Batman, did you?”

                “He IS the foremost expert on dimensional wormholes.  And I find it interesting that my double was the only one among the Justice Lords who we could trust,” responded Batman.  “I’m not so arrogant as to suppose that that would hold true across other dimensions, but it certainly gives me something to work with.  And whatever dimension under discussion, the decision of who to trust and who NOT to trust would rest solely with me.”

                “So THAT’S why you don’t want Clark in on this.”  A look of amused cynicism settled on Wonder Woman’s face.

                “Essentially, yes.  Clark is too trusting.  Short-sighted too, for someone with eight different kinds of vision.  He probably WOULD want to destroy the projector.”  The computer was now running and Batman’s fingers flew over the keys in a flurry of typing.

                Nodding sardonically, Wonder Woman glanced to the portal.  “So that’s your plan?  Power up this device and go to some random dimension?”

                “I would never go to ‘some random dimension,’” answered Batman.  “This model of the portal allows me to see images of the world before I visit it.  Look.”  Moving aside, he gestured Wonder Woman to come forward and look at the screen.

                Diana came forward and studied the screen carefully for a few moments.  She opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.

                “Why,” she said carefully, “would someone shoot—are those webs?—from their fingers?”

                “That,” answered Batman, “I don’t know.”


	33. Repercussions

 

"Put your hats on the table, and we can begin."

Mifune definitely looked older, and there were a few more scars on his wizened face, but his manner as he assumed the head of the room had lost none of its dignity. "Thank you all for coming to this meeting of the six Kages. This meeting has been arranged by the Hokage, so he shall be the first to speak."

Naruto had been waiting for the summons, and stood to his feet. "Well… guess I'll just start by reminding everyone what we're here for." He gave a nervous little chuckle. <i>Look at Gaara. At least HE doesn't want to kill you.</i> "Only a year ago, the Five Elemental Countries and the Land of Iron united to stand against Madara and the threat of his Moon's Eye Plan, resulting in the Fourth Shinobi World War." He made it a point to give a commiserating gaze around the room. <i>Don't stare at the Mizukage, don't stare at the Mizukage, don't staaaaaare…</i> "All the nations, and all the villages, suffered greatly in that war. Suna lost many of its best shinobi, the Iron Country sacrificed its time-honored neutrality, and Kumo and Iwa both lost their Kages, even as the rigors of war forced Konoha's own Hokage into early retirement. Many fought, and died, for the cause of peace."

"We are met here today to make sure their deaths are not in vain. To close the final page on the war against Madara and begin a new age of peace and prosperity. Things have been understandably tense since the war, but it's time to put all that aside and set the course for the future."

Nodding to Shikaku (it felt weird to have his friend's dad as an adviser), Naruto took the scroll from him and spread it out on the table. "We are met here to discuss the treaty allowing for the formation of a sixth Hidden Village within the Elemental Countries."

* * *

 

"I just don't know… it's a different dynamic, adjusting to more of them."

Hana Inuzuka snorted. "You disappeared for practically half a year, Kiba. What'd you expect Akamaru to do in that time, pine away for love of you?"

"I was a little afraid of it, yeah," answered Kiba, glaring up at his sister. He was seated on the floor, scratching a comatose Akamaru's ears.

"He just about DID, if that makes you feel better. Kept getting skinnier and skinnier, that first month you were gone, until we were afraid of losing him. Then mother got the bright idea of kenneling him with that brown-haired bitch of Tsuchika's, and… well, he started eating again."

"Well, yeah, that part makes sense. And I'm glad mom did it." Kiba looked down fondly at the huge dog. "My time away just made me realize how much I depend on Akamaru. I don't know what I'd do without him."

A rumbling sound of contentment arose from Akamaru's inert form.

Glancing back up, Kiba continued, "The part that doesn't make sense is why I'm expected to bring all five puppies WITH me whenever I go on missions from now on. I mean, what the heck? Aren't they supposed to be meeting their new partners? At the least it seems like they should be Tsuchika's problem, not mine."

Hana's eyes narrowed. "See, THIS is why I wanted to talk to you away from all the others. I had a feeling you'd be either clueless or stupid."

"Huh?" Kiba's forehead wrinkled in confusion.

With a mixture of affection and exasperation, Hana smacked her brother upside the head. "Tsuchika's dead, you idiot." She sighed. "And her partner too. If you haven't noticed—and apparently, you haven't—the Inuzuka got hit pretty badly in the war. We don't HAVE partners for those dogs, and they're too rabid to sell as pets, because when we started to raise them we thought we were going to need all the soldiers we could get. Now, between the casualties we've had and the troop cutbacks they're talking about…" Hana's voice trailed off.

Kiba's face slowly faded from shock to understanding. "Is this some… new kind of soldier program then?"

"No." Hana sighed. "Just a way of dealing with leftovers, really. Without partners, and with their mother dead, there's really not much we can do for those dogs. Akamaru's their father, so hopefully he should have some attachment to them, but even so… they're probably not going to last long, out in the field." Seeing Kiba's face, she hung her head. "I know, I know. But it's either that or put them down. We can't sell them, we can't release them into the town, we can't release them into the wild…"

"Why not?"

"They're DOGS. Wild dogs are worse than wolves, they hang around human settlements and pick off livestock, you know that. Those six would destroy a farming village's economy in a week."

"I guess," grunted Kiba, folding his arms and looking away. "And I suppose another reason I'm getting this job is because Akamaru and I are kind of… detached since that whole mess."

Hana shook her head. "Just the opposite, actually. You and Akamaru have always had a deeper connection than any of the other Inuzuka pairs. Mom thinks that might make it easier to bear the strain. Anyone else, and the dogs might start getting jealous of each other, but with you two…" Hana smiled. "It just might work."

"Maybe." Kiba's glance strayed down to the huge dog at his side. "I guess I'm more versatile now—working constantly with Akamaru I was getting in something of a rut—but I still didn't enjoy the time away from him. From now on, there's nothing that'll separate us."

 

* * *

 

 

"Hokage," grunted the Tsuchikage, a big, barrel-chested man with thick black hair—Naruto hadn't caught his name. "You are aware, of course, that Iwa's troop reserves were greatly exhausted by the war."

Naruto nodded. "As were Suna's. And Kiri's. My own country has experienced grave losses from the war effort."

"Yes, yes." The Tsuchikage waved impatiently. "But nothing compared to our losses. At present we can barely cover the missions assigned to us. Already some of our clients have started shifting their contracts to other villages." He brought his hand down heavily on the table. "This is a poor reward for the sacrifice of Iwa, Hokage! Our soldiers died so the men of Konoha and Kumo could live, and in return, you steal the bread from our mouths? And now you introduce a new village to help you with it?" He folded his arms across his massive chest. "Iwa will not stand for this, Hokage."

"Sorry to tell you this, but by your own account, that's not much of a threat." A yawn broke loose from the new Raikage and he rubbed his eyes. "If Iwa is as weak as you say, there's not really much you can do to hinder or aid this treaty."

Naruto grinned uncertainly at the blonde-haired Raikage. He liked this new guy—Darui—pretty well, if mostly because the guy was as new to the whole Kage thing as he was, but he had a unfortunate tendency to be blunt at the worst times.

A short cough reminded him of his advisor, and he leant back to allow Shikaku to whisper into his ear. The jounin had stressed that they should do this as little as possible—too much might make Naruto appear weak—but this time it served not only as a helpful advice session, but also a convenient way to break the tension that hung over the room.

Nodding, Naruto leant forward again. "Konoha understands the difficulty of your position." He assured the Tsuchikage. "Suna and Kiri have come to us with similar concerns. But the simple fact is, with the Great Alliance now formalized, the prospect of war is much less likely, and, in turn, the services of ninja much less likely to be in demand." Naruto spread his hands. "We must face facts, gentlemen. All the ninja nations will have to cut operations." Pointing at the Tsuchikage, Naruto continued, "You may find that your newly reduced forces are not yet small enough."

Darui, from his side, studied his fingernails. "Afraid I have to confirm that also. Even with the post-war restoration work going on, Kumo is barely clearing enough operations to keep its ninja occupied." Grinning ruefully, he added, "If things get much duller than this, the Daimyo's likely to cut our funding and we'll have to let some ninjas go."

"As will Konoha." Naruto withdrew a scroll from his pouch—this was a huge security risk, but he'd convinced Shikaku it was worth it. "I have here the budget requisition report from the Fire Daimyo for Konohagakure." He spread it out on the table. "Most of it is sealed off—for security purposes—but you can see by the notation at the bottom, Konoha will also have to make cuts to survive financially."

The different Kages studied the document carefully. Shikaku had suggested falsifying the visible records, but Naruto had thought differently. The ninjas would expect the records to be falsified, why not show them the real ones?

"But, in order that this be understood by all parties," Shikaku broke the silence, reminding Naruto that he really did not need to let them spend too long looking at the records. "There is a clause within the treaty stipulating that all involved nations begin troop cutback preparations."

"Each in accordance to their current state, of course." Naruto affirmed, picking up the thread where his counselor had left it. "The purpose of the treaty is simply to define what everyone in this room already knows—that a large standing army of ninja is no longer practical."

"Quality, not quantity, shall rule this coming age," nodded Gaara, with a look of curious satisfaction on his face. "It is time for new practices to come into play."

 

* * *

 

 

The dojo rang with shouts and screams, punctuated by the rapid thuds of fists and feet meeting flesh. A crowd of lower-ranking students were clustered around the circle, watching in awe at the two green-clad whirlwinds in the center.

"Forgive me, Gai-sensei, but…"Lee grabbed his former teacher's outstretched arm and pulled hard, flipping the bowl-haired taijutsu master over his back and sailing to the back wall. The older man did a somersault in mid-air and landed with his feet against the wall.

"Ah-HA! Most tricky, Lee! Your youthful stratagem has momentarily unseated me!"

Lee's feet plowed into the wall where Gai had been two seconds previously. "YOSH! Thank you Gai-sensei!"

Gai shook his finger admonishingly in between the hundred or so punches Lee hurled at him. "Lee, Lee, I am no longer… urk!" Lee had whipped under his blow and delivered a straight chop to the stomach, twisting slightly as he did so.

"You are still depending on blows, Gai-sensei!" He called as the man, his concentration blown, plummeted to the dojo floor. "This fighting style is about holds!"

Gai crashed to the floor, but rolled up from it and mounted up on his feet again, hands at the ready. "Yosh! You are most correct, oh Youthful Master!" As Lee came at him again he caught the young man's arm in a vise and pinched several points on his wrist.

Lee's face shone with pride. "That is correct, Gai-sensei!"

"Lee-ee." Gai shook his head. "I was saying, do not—"

Lee's other arm snaked around his waist and whipped him over backwards, sending him crashing to the mat. Lee hopped backwards a little, shaking his now-useless hand.

Gai lay on the mat for a moment, considering. "I should not talk so much." He decided.

"Perhaps not, Gai-sensei."

"Ah-HA!" Gai leapt up again, wiping blood from his mouth. "You are tricky, but I will show you! I will talk TWICE as much while fighting to beat you, and if I cannot do that, I will…"

But Lee was on him. Arms blurred and clashed in a dizzying series of blows and blocks. The students on the sidelines alternately cheered and winced at the hits. Probably only half of the students gathered had ever actually FOUGHT Master Lee, but even to watch his style was an education. And to watch him fight the Old Master, Maito Gai, was a truly rare treat.

"Truly your spirit is exploding with youth and enthusiasm!" boomed Gai's great voice from somewhere in the flurry of complicated blows. "Tell me, Lee, how goes your quest for the youthful Sakura?"

Lee missed a block in his surprise and Gai's fist sent him staggering. "I am still determined!" He responded eagerly, rolling away from the knee Gai planted into the mat. "My passion and devotion are unwavering as ever! I will win Haruno Sakura's heart, and if I cannot do that, I will win the hearts of twenty other village girls!"

"Ah-HA my youthful Lee, but I think you have done so already!"

"Yosh!" The voice was a little distorted, as Lee was currently somersaulting over Gai's head, but he came down evenly on his feet and whipped around just in time to catch the kick aimed at him. "Then I will win the hearts of FORTY village girls, and if I cannot do that, I will…"

The students shifted a little uncomfortably. Master Lee's self-imposed punishments were not popular around the dojo, particularly as he tended to expect his students to adopt similar practices. And while Lee's feelings for Konoha's top researcher were not exactly secret—last month he'd painted a 'youthful' wedding proposal all over the Hokage Monument—it wasn't exactly something the students cared to hear about.

"I have faith in your youthful passion, Lee!" Gai ducked under a series of jabs and attempted a stab at Lee's midsection, only to have the younger man writhe away from him. "You have truly grown to be an exceptional ninja!"

"Yosh! Naruto-sama wished to remove me from active duty to teach ANBU trainees!" Lee spun around in mid-air and shot a flying kick at Gai's head. The elder man's hands flew up and caught Lee's foot inches from his face, pushing out and over, sending Lee tumbling overhead. "But I declined! I am determined to be a fully capable and active shinobi!"

"But Lee! You are already a fully capable shinobi! Your friends Chouji and Shino have retired, and even your eternal rival Neji has settled down."

"Ah-HA, you are tricky, Gai-sensei! But all three of them have clan responsibilities, and Chouji wishes to open a barbeque. Neji is not only married, but rising quickly in the Hyuuga clan. He will continue to train with them, I am sure! I am determined to remain active and become TWICE as capable a shinobi!"

"Ah-ha, my youthful Lee." Gai shook his head admiringly as he fired a hail of blows at the boy. "You must do more than that. You must become THREE TIMES as capable a shinobi, and catch…"

Lee's arms whipped crossways in front of his face and caught Gai's arm. One hand reversed to grab the arm, but Gai yanked back, pulling him off balance and sending him reeling forward. Gai sidestepped, and, as Lee came tumbling past, touched his fingers to certain key points on Lee's neck.

But Lee bounced back up. "That was not the correct hold, Gai-sensei!" He admonished him. Ducking under Gai's jab, he whipped up closer to the older man, sticking his left leg around the back of the other's right and jerking back. Gai stumbled, nearly fell over backward but corrected himself, only to feel something strike the base of his skull, accompanied by the words "This is."

The dojo erupted into cheers as Gai, temporarily paralyzed, collapsed to the mat. Lee bowed to his inert mentor. "Thank you for the match, Gai-sensei."

Gai, or at least the part of his face that Lee could see, smiled. "Lee-ee." He admonished. "As I was saying, you must no longer call me Gai-sensei. I can no longer be your teacher."

"What?" Lee stopped at the dip of his bow, his eyes wide and alarmed. "B-but Gai-sensei…"

"No." Gai's head moved, the paralysis was wearing off. "No, Lee, now it is I who must call YOU my teacher!"

Lee's lower lip trembled. His eyes grew wide and bright with manly tears. With a dramatic sob of heartfelt emotion he tugged his old teacher's largely unresponsive body upright and hugged him in the sudden sunrise.

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE-SENSEI!"

"YOSH!" Lee was really in tears now, practically falling over from emotion, fortunately Gai's legs had come back.

"YOSH!"

The applause from the students faltered and finally stopped. Lee's dojo was the best—and often the most entertaining—to be found for miles, but there was no denying that it was also occasionally a trifle strange.

 

* * *

 

 

"This next bit here seems a little weird to me." Darui yawned. "An explicit ban against all bloodline experimentation? What's the point of that?"

"You would wonder about that, wouldn't you," smirked the Mizukage. "Throws a real wrench into your whole kidnapping racket, doesn't it?"

Darui's lidded eyes flickered over to the woman. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Personally I'm not surprised you're supporting it—your village barely has any bloodlines left. No wonder you want to keep others from developing their own."

Mei Terumi smiled sweetly. "There's still me, kiddo."

"Gentlemen." Naruto held up his hand. "And ladies." He added hurriedly, at the Mizukage's cocked eyebrow. "As you've both just demonstrated, bloodlines are an inflammable topic. Prior to the war, the only intensive research being done into them was conducted by Orochimaru. Well." Spreading his hands, Naruto let the weight of that thought sink in. "We all know where that led. Given how the recent war practically revolved around a particular bloodline, isn't it best to forestall such conflicts before they begin by forbidding the research that leads to them?"

The Tsuchikage grunted. "To me it would seem better to DO the research so you know how to prevent such a conflict when it begins. Or at least know which are most likely to cause such conflicts."

It was hard, Naruto reflected, arguing for things that you didn't really believe in. "This ban is very important to the admission of the new village." He said carefully. "Its goal is to establish proper respect for the clans of such bloodlines by treating them as people instead of medical experiments." He waited a moment. "Each village may retain its respective bloodlines, and of course the clans may develop their abilities as they see fit. But there is to be no…" he hesitated, "…outsider investigation into the nature of bloodline abilities."

Gaara shrugged. "It makes enough sense. In any case it certainly does not affect Suna to any great extent."

"Certainly we can all agree with the latter part of the clause—that experimentation on the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan be absolutely forbidden." Naruto gazed around the circle and was relieved to see a few reluctant nods. "And anyway, when you think about it, there's not going to be a lot of money for research, what with the budget cuts and all."

 

* * *

 

 "No, I knew about the budget cuts," replied Sakura. Blood clung to the surface of her long white gloves and fog rose from her masked mouth as she poked at the brain peeking out of the corpse's skull. She and Ino stood in one of the more out-of-the-way operating theatres, containing some of the most advanced ninja medical equipment and several new devices of Sakura's own design. Light music filtered through the cold air of the room as she continued her probing, remarking, "I guess I was just surprised to hear that Chouji and Shino had been… let go like that."

"Oh, and what was I, completely justified?" Ino, similarly attired but standing well away from the corpse on the table, sent a glare at her friend.

Sakura sent a smirk from behind her mask. "Well, not so much justified as expected, Pig-chan. After all, even Naruto can read the writing on the wall. Everyone knows that once you get married…"

"FOREHEAD!" Ino hissed, the section of skin visible above the surgical mask flaming bright red. "That's just a rumor! Sai hasn't even proposed!"

Glancing up, Sakura cocked an eyebrow at her friend. "Well, no, but he did announce in a public restaurant on how he'd like to make a formal arrangement to have regular intercour…"

"FOREHEAD!" A cloud of vapor erupted from the masked girl's mouth.

"I'm just saying." Sakura waved her hands in apology, sending flecks of blood into the cold air. The music began to pick up, building toward a finale. "Also your mother told me about him 'asking permission' from her. Apparently it was pretty juicy stuff."

Ino groaned. "Mother…"

"You could do worse." Sakura shrugged. "He's one of the few shinobi NOT out of work right now. In fact…" She waggled her eyebrows at her friend. "…an inside source tells me that he's Naruto's hand-picked boy to take over ANBU once the current head steps down."

"Look, Sai has NOT proposed, okay?" Ino glared at her. "I don't think he even quite gets the idea of what a marriage entails yet. So he didn't get down on one knee, he didn't get a ring, so it's not a proposal." A momentary crash of cymbals made her pause. "And anyway Mom said no."

Smirking again, Sakura turned back to her work. "Whatever. That's the sort of thing that even Naruto can't ignore. No sense in keeping you on and kicking out some less talented soldier, if he knows you're going to be leaving anyway."

"Well why'd he kick you out?" Ino glared at her friend. "Lee give an especially dramatic proposal? Some of the boys are wondering how he's going to top painting 'Will you marry me' on the Hokage Monument."

Sakura suddenly became very interested in the brain. "Not that it's any of your business, but Naruto didn't kick me out. I quit, so I could focus on my job here at the Science Center. There's too much work to do and Tsunade… well, even she isn't getting any younger anymore."

"Oh…" Ino winced slightly. "Yes. I… stopped by her room earlier today."

"I know I'm never going to use that 'eternal youth' thing of hers. All those years hitting her at once…" Sakura shivered. "It's a wonder she still has her mind." Shaking her head, Sakura picked up a knife and a glass probe. "I'm far too busy to be running around the country chasing cats or whatever they have jounin doing these days. Plus there's still work on Kakashi to do…"

"How is Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura shrugged. "Hard to say. He can still fight, of course, and he knows all his old jutsus, so he's still pretty deadly. But that eye of his is just about dead… it's healing, but so slowly it practically doesn't even matter. Kakashi might die before his eye comes back."

"Mmm," nodded Ino. "Probably just as well. If it wasn't, that eye might be part of the new treaty. I hear that they're going to call an end to all study of bloodlines."

"Oh yes?" Sakura poked the folds of grey flesh about.

Neither girl said anything for a moment. The strains of music floated up and down in the surgery room. Ino watched her friend. "What're you going to do if they do, Sakura?"

Konoha's chief medic and researcher snorted. "Damn well keep studying them. It's not like anybody's planning to abide by half the rules in that thing anyway. This is a hospital, what're they going to do, stop taking people here? When we've got the fastest growing reputation for treating bloodline-specific diseases? Heck, Ino, even the other villages send their worst cases here." Making a small incision with her knife, she reached for the tweezers and brought out a blubbery looking piece of tissue. "They might keep me from taking records, but they can't keep me from SEEING the things. And if they want progress to be made on the disease, they'll shut up and let me do my work."

There was a short silence.

"I'm sorry." Sakura said, looking up. "I got carried away there, Ino. I shouldn't have… it wasn't very thoughtful of me to…"

"It's alright, Sakura."

"I tend to space out when I'm working and forget…"

"I said it was okay, Sakura."

"It's just…"said Sakura, taking a step back.. "Are you sure you're… okay with this?" Eyes fixed on her friend, she gestured toward the bloody organ between them.

Ino gave a small nod. "I'm sure."

"Because if you're not, I could easily stop, I have plenty of information…"

"Sakura, it's what Daddy wanted," said Ino, laying a hand on her friend's arm. "He said if it would help the clan at large, if it might give some key to help me know how to deal with my… telepathy, he said…" Ino swallowed. "He said it would be for the best."

"He gave you his approval to do this." Sakura glanced back to the sheet swathed corpse on the table, and the bloody yellow hair that had been pealed back from the skull. "Ino, your father was a remarkable man. Do you realize what this means? I'm getting years of insight into my research, groundbreaking stuff that could revolutionize your clan. I can't lie, I still can't say it helps me understand your telepathy, but…" she shook her head. "He did a great thing."

Ino's mouth twitched. "Well in that case, shouldn't we get him sewn back up? The funeral's tomorrow, and there's only so long you can pretend to be embalming him."

"Right." Sakura turned back to the corpse. "Just a few more things to take care of before we do that, though. Hand me that forceps, would you?"

Ino reached out for the forceps, but her hand bumped against something else entirely and she looked down. "Sakura." She said, in a somewhat disbelieving tone. "That's not… Is that…?"

"An MP3." Sakura nodded distractedly. "Or an iSomething-or-other, I forget. Still works, too, as long as you keep it charged with the occasional Raiton jutsu. Forceps?"

"OhmiGOD Sakura you smuggled that back from the other world?" Ino swept over to the table and picked it up. "Does Naruto know you have this?"

"Actually it's not mine." Sakura glanced up. "Tenten dropped it off. Said I could have it. Forceps?"

Ino found the desired article and passed it over. "Just like that?"

"Just like that." Sakura shrugged. "Look through it if you like, it's mostly a bunch of weapons instructional videos and action movies, but I think Titanic is in there somewhere, along with some songs by that one Shakira lady. Tenten didn't say anything about wanting it back, so you can probably borrow it if you want."

Nodding, Ino chewed her lip. "Sakura… you don't think…"

"Tenten's as brazen as they come, but she's not stupid… not that stupid, anyway." Sakura shook her head. "She'll play ball. She knows as much as anyone how important this treaty is."

 

* * *

 

  

"Hokage, I think you know as well as anyone how important this treaty is." Darui smiled across the table at Naruto. "But at the same time you're also sort of… what is the phrase… At an unfair advantage? here."

Naruto shrugged. "Define unfair. Whatever resources my country has, it has acquired legally and through its own agency."

"But not honorably," grunted the Tsuchikage (seriously, Naruto needed to learn his name.) "Your country's questionable methods have…"

"My country's 'questionable methods' won the war!" Naruto snapped. It was important to play the injured patriot here, to make them feel as if they'd forced him into something. "Whatever else you might say about them, they worked! The ninja alliance was shot to shreds when we stepped up, I didn't hear any of you complaining about 'questionable methods' back then! Without them, we might never have beaten Tobi, and you all know it!"

There was a short, embarrassed pause. Naruto could sense Shikaku's approval behind him. Then the Mizukage cleared her throat. "Yes, Hokage. We understand that. During a time of war, one turns to whatever tool suits the task."

"But we're not at war anymore." Darui pointed out. "Tobi's beaten. Now it's just each other we have to worry about, and quite frankly, Hokage… the other Elemental Nations are VERY worried about you."

"I have to agree." Though Naruto'd been expecting it, the quiet statement from Gaara still felt like a betrayal. "Suna's position is clear. The manufacture of these… guns puts the entire ninja system at risk."

The Tsuchikage crossed his arms. "Cowardly weapons." He muttered. "Putting the basest civilian at the level of the most highly trained shinobi. Their mere existence opens up a whole new market to our sponsors, a cheaper, cruder form of defense, without regard for the spiritual aspect of battle."

"They spark unrest, also," nodded Mei Terumi. "Hundreds of civilians are now armed with your country's 'guns,' and are loath to part with them. They represent a sizeable, growing threat that can only serve to further destabilize the country."

"Let's cut to essentials here, shall we?" said Naruto, waving his hand as if he was bored and angry with all of this talk. "You're all scared of the guns because they even the playing field and let civilians fight on a level with shinobi. And you're worried because right now, Konoha has a monopoly on their production, and you want that production to stop. That's the only reason anyone here is actually agreeing to this, right?"

There was a pained silence. "Not the only—" Gaara started to say.

"Look, I'm new to all this, but I'm guessing my old man would say: 'That's politics,'" drawled Darui. "You give a little, you take a little. None of us here is stupid—that's why we're Kages. We can all see the reasoning behind this new village. But the guns have to go. So if you want Kumo's name on that treaty…" Darui pointed, "…it better have a clause about that."

Naruto nodded, slowly, so as to give a sign of reluctance. "I know," said he finally. "This has all been discussed before. And I'm not one to throw away a chance for peace over something like this. Therefore, in return for the other allowances granted in this treaty, clause 43 states that the manufacture of projectile and chakra-based energy weapons be ceased and that their use and ownership be forbidden throughout the Five Elemental Nations."

The members of the room visibly relaxed. "And the… producer of these weapons?" Terumi arched a beauteous eyebrow. "The illustrious Hyuuga Tenten?"

"She will be required to shut down her enterprise and cease from experimentation in the field," responded Naruto, swallowing the knot in his stomach. He tried to give a reassuring smile. "She's a new mother… I doubt she'll need much convincing."

"I recommend that a joint ninja force be assembled to enforce the ban of this weaponry," growled the Tsuchikage.

"Agreed." There were nods, smiles, all around the circle of Kages.

To Naruto, Mifune's smile seemed just a trifle devious.

 

* * *

 

 

"The Land of Iron is going to pick up the business."

Shikamaru cocked a lazy eyebrow at Sai. "You think so?"

"I've seen the treaty. It forbids weaponry in the Five Elemental Countries—it says nothing about the Land of Iron." Sai took a sip from his glass. "The samurai have always been looking for something to put them on a more than equal footing with the ninja, and Naruto's practically dropped it into their lap. Tenten and Neji have been having frequent visitors since the treaty was announced—visitors my sources tell me are Mifune's people."

Nodding, Shikamaru took a bite from his fish. "So you honestly think Tenten's going to run?"

"You don't?" Sai smiled.

Shikamaru sighed and glanced out the window. "No. You're right. I feel bad for Neji and the twins, because there's no way in hell Neji's leaving the clan, but there's nothing for it. That stuff has been her life these past few years, to take her from that to…" Shikamaru shrugged, "..I don't know, an unofficial prisoner under constant watch, forbidden to even experiment with weapons…" He shook his head. "No, she's running." Glancing back at Sai, he added, "What's more puzzling is that you, knowing that, haven't arrested Tenten already."

Still smiling, Sai shrugged. "Until the treaty is signed, nothing can be done. Neji is too powerful in the Hyuuga clan hierarchy to risk angering by arranging a 'disappearance,' and Naruto wouldn't be too fond of it either."

"That's an understatement." Shikamaru grunted.

"And…" Sai stared pensively at his glass. "I have no wish to stop her." At Shikamaru's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "She has a great talent, powerful as any bloodline. If a nation is so foolish as to forbid her using it…" He let the statement trail off.

Shikamaru finished chewing before he responded. "That sounded almost human of you." He grinned. "So you think Naruto's being foolish?"

Sai smiled and spread his hands. "It's not my place to criticize the Hokage or his advisors."

"Just to undercut them with 'off the books' missions that correct the mistakes you think they made but won't tell them," responded Shikamaru drily. "Look, I know how it looks, Sai. But Naruto's not banning the weapons just because the other nations want him to. He's doing it because KONOHA wants him to."

"Really?" For a moment Sai looked almost surprised.

Shikamaru nodded. "Konoha's in the same economic boat as the other villages. It's got no need to introduce fresh competitors to the business of warfare. "

"Apart from this new village that Naruto is sponsoring."

"Well… yeah." Shikamaru looked slightly uncomfortable. "But we've been over that. You already know the arguments, it's the best way to deal with a flammable situation."

"I understand it." Sai's smile stretched across his face..

"You just don't like it. But you don't need to." Shikamaru nodded. "Right. And this new village is the only reason Naruto's been holding off on the guns issue—he wanted to save it as a trump card. He knew he'd need it to get this new village pushed through."

"Really?" Sai's look was slightly disbelieving, but he shrugged and raised his glass. "Well, Naruto's not quite the dickless idiot he used to be."

"You ARE feeling sentimental today." Shikamaru grinned. "He's been surprisingly good at politics, though Dad and I give him plenty of pointers. But he knew that the other nations would agree to just about anything in order to stop Tenten's weapon production here in Konoha."

"Except it won't be stopped." Sai pointed out, setting down his glass. "It just won't be 'here in Konoha' anymore."

"Yeah…" winced Shikamaru, rubbing the back of his head. "How much you want to bet 'the Land of Iron' won't be the universal neutral ground much longer?"

Sai smiled. "I've learned not to bet against you, Nara."

 

* * *

 

 

"And I foresee no problem with Mifune-sama's amendment, that the Land of Iron be allowed a greater role in future village dealings. Is there any? No?" Naruto glanced around the room. "And we have already discussed the matter of halting researcg into bloodlines." Like THAT'S gonna happen. "Then, if there's nothing more, perhaps to…"

"There is one further matter."

Naruto glanced up. Gaara again. He really shouldn't be mad at his friend for doing his job as Kazekage, but damnit, why did he have to keep bringing up stuff? "Yes?"

"This is not a… treaty matter, strictly speaking, but it is one that I believe enters into these talks." Gaara stared at his hands, folded on the table before him. "Suna, with its… troubled past, has undergone rapid downsizing before. We have often had to lay off a great many ninja in order to continue functioning."

"We're all know Suna's poor." Darui yawned. "So?"

Naruto had to admire the way Gaara didn't even blink. "My point is that Suna has also experienced the inevitable ramifications of such downsizing—large quantities of missing nins. Without village-sponsored employment, many unemployed A-class or even S-class nins will take to less… orthodox means of procuring goods." Gaara glanced over at Darui, and his eyes bored into the Raikage's. "You say that this is a typically Suna problem, but it seems to be that soon it will be a Kumo problem also, indeed a problem for us all."

Naruto chewed his lip. He had honestly not thought of that.

"What do you suggest, Kazekage?" That was Mei Terumi of the Mist. "We cannot support them, and the Daimyo's are not likely to agree to continue paying ninjas who do no work. How has Suna resolved these situations in the past?"

Gaara shrugged. "That is not applicable in this case, unfortunately. Suna's former procedure was to hunt such ninjas within our land relentlessly, but offer bounties only on the most valuable ones." Something akin to a smirk crossed his face. "The idea was to persuade the missing nins to leave the Land of the Wind and go create trouble for our neighbors."

"Ha!" The Mizukage smiled. "Shrewd, Little one, very shrewd."

"But not applicable to a national alliance such as this," interrupted Mifune, glaring at Mei and Gaara alike. "You cannot ALL drive the missing nins into each others' countries."

"We don't exactly have the funds to offer bounties on all of them." Darui pointed out.

"Nor to pay them all off." Gaara nodded. "I have met with the Daimyo of Wind regarding this matter, suggesting a payment program for unemployed ninjas. He was not sympathetic."

"Even well-paid, there is no guarantee that ninja would not turn to crime simply to supplement their income, or even out of boredom," rumbled Kitsuchi (THAT was his name! The Tsuchikage! Kitsuchi! Naruto made a mental note to write it down later.) "It has been known to happen." He nodded in response to the disbelieving looks. "Deidara, for instance."

Gaara spread his arms. "I can offer no solution. I fear there is none, and that our greatest threat in the coming years will come from clanless, villageless missing nins. What I ask is this—how are we to answer such a threat?"

There was a short silence. All the Kage's were thinking. But unbidden, there sprang to Naruto's mind an image of another world, of where heroes lived in a central tower and kept watch over their villages against the constant threat of super-powered criminals and terrorists…

Smiling suddenly, Naruto cleared his throat. "I have a few ideas that you might find interesting." He said to the questioning gazes.

 

* * *

 

 

"Well. Those WERE some interesting stories," yawned the black girl—Karui, Hinata reminded herself. Purportedly the future consort of the new Raikage.

"Seriously, though," snickered Kurotsuchi, daughter of the current Tsuchikage. "Did you and all those friends of yours honestly disappear to another world? For, like, months?"

Hinata put on her best smile as she leant forward with the tea. "Kuro-san." She informed the girl. "Do you honestly believe I could make up all that… even if I wanted to?"

"She's got a point there." Temari grinned over the table. "Take it from me, this Hyuuga princess couldn't make up a decent fairy tale if she had to. Personally—" she glanced over at Hinata, "—I'm still astonished that you're able to talk so long without stuttering. Back when I was the Suna liason…"

"One learns many things, Temari-san," shrugged Hinata. "One changes with experiences."

"Particularly when those experiences involve the new Hokage. Eh? Eh?" Kurotsuchi waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Oh! Oh she's getting red! She's getting red!"

"Oooh, so they ARE true!" Temari crowed. "All those rumors I've been hearing! C'mon, girl, share the details."

"Th-there's r-really not any d-details…" Hinata forced a breath and continued, "…any details to share. We haven't… actually DONE anything yet. My father wouldn't allow it."

"Uh-huh." Karui raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You expect us to believe that you and that hormone-ridden piece of manflesh have been hanging out since the end of the war, even came to this freaking summit together, and never done it, just on your daddy's say-so?"

Hinata smiled sweetly. "My daddy commands a small army of ninjas who can see through walls."

There was a short silence. "Jeez, that'd suck," admitted Karui.

"Ha!" Temari snorted. "Poor Naruto. At least he knows not to push his luck, I suppose, but… HA! Oh, that's hilarious."

"Doesn't that freak you out at all?" asked Kurotsuchi, her gaze just slightly disturbed. "I mean… to know you've got people watching you all the time? Even like… when you're sleeping and stuff?"

Hinata shrugged. "I grew up in the Hyuuga household. It's simply a fact of life there for everyone. Me perhaps more so than most." She added as an afterthought.

Kurotsuchi's brow furrowed. "Huh? Why you more than…"

"Cause we tried to kidnap her when she was, like, three." Karui answered for Hinata.

"Yes," nodded Hinata, with only a slightly pained expression. "I've always been closely watched." She shrugged. "I suppose other people might find it creepy, but you get used to it… find ways to be invisible even in plain sight, if that makes sense."

"Not really." Kurotsuchi shook her head. "Anyway, not important. Hokage! Boyfriend! Details!"

"I j-just told you, there aren't any details." Blushing, Hinata picked up her cup and hid her face behind it. "We've been dating for probably four years now."

"Four years?" Temari shook her head. "Man, Naruto's slower than I thought."

"He's been very busy… with the war and later with the Kage position…" muttered Hinata demurely. "And now this treaty…"

"But even so, it seems like he should've proposed by now." Temari insisted.

Hinata shrugged, a small grin playing around the edges of her mouth. "Naruto-kun is reluctant to discuss his actual feelings with people not trying to kill him." Fingers playing on the rim of her cup, she hesitated a moment. "But…"

"But?"

"But what?

"Spill it, girl!"

Hinata blushed again. "Naruto-kun has been trying to conceal a ring box from me this entire journey." She confided quietly.

The other three girls erupted. Kurotsuchi was just not-quite squealing, and Temari laughing heartily. Karui reached over and pounded Hinata on the back, nearly making her spill the tea all over herself. Hinata just sat, her face a rosy glow.

"So?" Kuro asked, when they had all calmed down. "What're you going to do?"

"Say yes, of course." Hinata smiled. "I suppose I should act very surprised also, he's really been most desperate about hiding it."

"Well, go you," grinned Temari, raising her cup in salute. "Have to say, if his newfound respect for manners and procedures is your doing, the diplomatic world thanks you at large. Kankuro used to moan about how Naruto was going to be such a pain as Hokage, but he's really done all right for himself."

"Of course he has! Naruto's always been very bright!" Hinata replied a little too sharply and suddenly became aware that the other girls were grinning at her. "He… just… needed a little help, that's all."

"Of course." Karui smirked.

"H-he's all full of wonderful ideas." Hinata insisted. "Like this treaty. And the Orphan Initiative in Konoha. And those regular Kage Summits he's been calling to smooth things. And…"

"We know, we know, Hinata." Temari held up her hand. "Naruto's really changing the ninja world, there's no doubt about that. Still." She grinned. "You've been doing a fair lot too, haven't you? I mean, sure, every heiress gives out money for war-torn regions and what-not, but uniting your clan like that? Funding Sakura's little 'doctors without boundaries' program? Starting whole new school programs?"

"What?" Karui glanced at Temari.

"They've started it in Konoha, but it's coming into Suna," replied Temari. "Should be in Kumo in a year or so. New researchers looking into non-military uses of chakra, like using earth jutsus to plow fields and stuff." She shrugged. "Most of its stuff that's been around for ages but no one's really ever had a curriculum based around it before." Turning back to Hinata, she shook her head. "You've got quite the urge to change the world yourself, I'd say."

"It's… it's not that." Hinata seemed troubled for some reason. "I just… I feel sometimes like..." She looked away. "I feel like my life isn't really mine." She answered finally. "I'm living on time someone else gave me. Or at least that's what it feels like." Swallowing, she continued, "And I just feel… like I have to give something back."

"Whoah. Deep stuff there." Kurotsuchi raised her eyebrows.

"I had a phase like that, a little after the war." Karui nodded. "Nearly got sliced in half by the Sandaime Raikage. Spent my first three months out of the hospital volunteering at every local charity I could find." Shrugging, she reached for her cup. "I got over it."

"Guess they last a little longer for clan heiresses. Especially ones involved with the Elemental Countries Number One do-gooder." Temari grinned.

"Perhaps," answered Hinata, somewhat distractedly. She still seemed somewhat troubled. "Have you ever…" she started, then stopped. "Do you sometimes…What if…" She sighed. "Do you ever wonder what would have happened if things had gone differently?"

"Like what?" Temari eyed her in confusion.

"Well… like… if Gaara had never met Naruto. If Bee-sama had never died. If we and Sasuke hadn't disappeared to the other world all those years ago… what would our world be like now?" Hinata's brow furrowed in thought. "Would so many people be dead? Would the Kyuubi have still been extracted? Would we be founding another village?" Her hand toyed with the fringe of her kimono. "Would Naruto and I… still be together?"

There was a small pause.

"Does it matter?" asked Kurotsuchi. She glanced around at the others. "I mean, forgive me if I'm being insensitive to you guys here, but… I mean, at the end of the day, you guys ARE together. Is it really worthwhile to think about how things might have gone differently?"

"In a way." Temari answered softly. "It helps you understand the importance of some things. I know for a fact that Gaara wouldn't be Kazekage if it weren't for Naruto."

"It's just… I worry." Hinata bit her lip. "I wonder if… everything that happened… if it happened for the best? If things hadn't gone the way they did… would things here be better? Or worse?"

"Well, yeah, but you CAN'T know that." Kurotsuchi insisted. "Not unless you had some crazy time-travel jutsu that let you go back in time and do everything differently. And even then, what exactly would you consider better?"

"Yeah." Karui nodded. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love a world where Bee-sensei and Ai-sama were still alive, but what if saving them meant letting Tobi win? Or killing Naruto? Or…" Karui waved her arms vaguely. "I dunno. Some other thing."

"Bottom line, girl, you can't know," said Temari, placing a hand on Hinata's arm. "And even if you could, it'd be hard to say whether it was better or worse. Who knows, maybe it wouldn't even be that different."

 

* * *

 

 

Naruto held his breath as the Tsuchikage (Kitsuchi—he needed to remember that) finished his suspicious squinting at the document and finally, reluctantly, added his signature at the bottom of the treaty.

"And with Iwa, that makes it unanimous." Naruto smiled around the room. To his relief, the air seemed almost relaxed, cordial even. Gaara even smiled at him, and the Mizukage threw him a wink. He still didn't know what was up with Mifune's quiet smile, and Darui looked as bored as he had at the start, but at least Kitsuchi didn't look like he was about to rip anyone's head off. Concessions had been made and given, and for the most part everyone looked happy with the result.

"Well." He said, rolling up the document. "I submit this treaty to the archivist here in the Land of Iron—" this with a bow as he handed it to the orderly who came forward, "—and allow me to be the first to officially welcome Otogakure to the ninja alliance, and the Otokage, Uchiha Sasuke, as a member of the Kage Summit!"

And it might have been his imagination, but it seemed there was just the smallest touch of a smirk on his old teammate's face as he leaned forward to shake his hand. "Thank you, dobe."

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story nearly four years ago for FF.net, where it was very well received. I did a DevART run too, with pictures, which I'm planning to put up here as part of the stories. This story takes place after Justice League Unlimited, and slightly after the Kage Summit arc in Naruto.


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